Total Pokemon Elemental Island
by BlandToucan
Summary: 40 Pokémon get the journey of a lifetime when they join Spiritomb's new TPI show. With twists, surprises, and all around chaos, there's no telling where this show will take them. Through trials and treachery, friendships and betrayals, one Pokémon will emerge the victor. Who will it be? Find out by reading Total Pokémon Elemental Island!
1. Ch 1- Insert Witty Title Here

**Um, what do I write here again? Oh yeah, obligatory intro and hook to persuade people to read my garbage.**

 **Kidding. Hope you like it though! :D**

 **000**

"Hello hello hello, everyone! Welcome, one and all, to 'Total Pokémon Elemental Island'!" exclaimed a loud voice, "I'll explain the gameshow later cause right now, we're waiting for our contestants who should be arriving any-" Spiritomb was talking to the shoreline as he saw some small boats come along.

"Ah, it seems like our contestants are coming along," continued Spiritomb, "40 young adults stranded on an island, forced to compete against each other in the hopes of achieving a grand prize. What could go wrong?"

"To be honest, I didn't expect so many Pokémon to sign up so quickly," Spiritomb said, "But hey, can you blame them? Why join any of those _non-original_ TPIs out there, when you can join this all new, fresh, amazing, experience! Total Pokémon Elemental Island is not just any TPI-spinoff, it's practically it's own gameshow! But enough about the show, let's introduce the contestants!"

As he finished his sentence, a small boat landed near the shoreline, and four Pokémon got off the boat. A Squirtle, a Chingling, a Chimchar, and a Gible.

"What's up guys? Anything to say to the audience?" asked Spiritomb, "You only get one chance to become the fan favourite- uh, I mean, make a good impression."

"Alright! I'm so pumped! Let's do this!" Chimchar exclaimed, trying to high five Gible, who just stepped back, annoyed.

"Um, I guess I'm excited for the competition," answered Squirtle with a half-smile, "But what do you mean by audience?"

"Don't you know? This is getting recorded," answered Spiritomb smirking, "It'll be broadcasted on national TV! Or if I can't afford that, I'll just sell the videos to my friends."

"Seems cool." the Chingling replied, nonchalantly. The bell floated around, gathering in the island.

"Whatever, let's just get this thing over with." Gible grunted, cracking his knuckles.

"Well, you'll have to wait until all 40 contestants arrive," reasoned Spiritomb, "So you guys just wait near the shoreline for the rest of the contestants."

"Hmph." Gible glared at Spiritomb, but began exploring the shoreland.

"Speaking of which, here comes another boat." exclaimed Spritomb excitedly. A boat arrived at the shoreline, and four more Pokémon appeared. A Paras, an Eevee, a Sentret, and a Sandshrew.

"Hello." Paras said from behind Spiritomb, kind of spooking the ghost.

"Oh, hi." Spiritomb replied, trying to keep composure.

"These plants are very exotic," Paras complimented the island, "They'd be great in my salves and medications."

"Um... that's great." Spiritomb replied, not knowing what to say. Paras continued down the island, taking notes and nodding from time to time.

"Woah! Look at the island, Eevee! The trees, we never get anything like this in the old apartment!" Sentret exclaimed excitedly, caressing a palm leaf.

"Wow, you really like this island." Spiritomb said, taken back by the weird Sentret.

"Whatever, as long as he leaves me alone." Eevee glared at Sentret, as she brushed past the two and began exploring the island.

"I take it you know her?" asked Spiritomb.

"Yeah, she's my- Well, actually, it's kinda complicated," answered Sentret, sounding a lot more somber, "I thought a competition would do both of us some good. Guess she doesn't like it, does she?"

"No, she doesn't." replied Spiritomb flatly.

"Well, I should go check on her," mumbled Sentret, as he rushed off towards Eevee, and then adding, "She deserves better."

"Wow, this is all so new!" Sandshrew barged in, as he took in the fresh air and sniffed the sand.

"Uh... What are you doing?" asked Spritomb, arching an eyebrow.

"Oh, uh, hi there!" exclaimed Sandshrew, clearly unfamiliar with greetings, "Sorry, I was so amazed by this island. It truly is a fascination sight."

"I take it you don't go outside very often."

"Yeah, my mom was very over-protective, so I was usually locked up in my room." Sanshrew explained.

"Then how did she let you sign up for this competition?"

"I don't live with my mom anymore." muttered Sandshrew, looking down.

"Oh... um..." Spiritomb mumbled, trying to think of something to say, but he couldn't. He coughed and waited for Sandshrew to move on.

"Well, uh, it looks like our next batch of contestants are arriving!" Spiritomb turned back to the shoreline, trying to make the situation less awkward.

A boat arrived and four more Pokémon popped out. A Chikoreta, a Magnemite, a Honedge, and a Ralts.

"Wow, this island sure is big." the Chikoreta was in awe.

"Fear not, young lass, I shall protect you from any-" began Honedge in an English accent, before he saw Spiritomb.

"AHHHH! It's a foul demon! Run for your lives!" he screamed as he floated away in panic, tripped twice before running into a tree and knocking himself out.

"Well, it was bound to happen. We had to have a weird one." muttered Spiritomb, facepalming.

"A-are you sure this island is safe?" asked Magnemite nervously.

"It's as safe as I could make it," answered Spiritomb, "But it is a competition."

"I knew I shouldn't have come." Magnemite whispered to himself nervously.

"Hmm, I wonder where this island is located." Ralts mumbled to herself as she investigated the island.

"Oh, so you're interested in the island?" asked Spiritomb, grinning widely.

"Well, for now, I'm interested in it's location." answered Ralts simply.

"You'll have to figure that out yourself," Spiritomb snickered, "Consider it a mystery."

"Consider it solved." Ralts replied, taking his words as a challenge, and she began heading deeper into the island.

"Geez, how many more are there? I'm already tired, and we haven't even begun the challenges!" exclaimed Spiritomb, groaning. He was snapped awake by the approach of the next boatload of Pokémon. A Porygon, a Mudkip, a Litwick, and a Vulpix got off.

"Who do we have here?" asked Spiritomb, trying to sound enthusiastic but obviously not.

"Porygon, computer expert extraordinaire!" Porygon exclaimed, bowing his head to Spiritomb.

"Oh, so you're not the stereotypical robot," replied Spiritomb, "Shame, you guy are usually the ones that cause the most chaos."

"Ha ha," Porgyon rolled his eyes, "You know, just because I might be something, that doesn't mean it has to be my personality."

"Whatever you say." Spiritomb smirked, as Porygon floated angrily towards the island.

"Woah dude, this island looks radical!" Mudkip exclaimed in a surfer voice, "The waves look amazing."

"Yeah, you can surf but after the challenges here, you might change your mind." Spiritomb smirked. Mudkip shrugged and ran to find a surfboard-worthy piece of wood.

"Dear diary, today I..," began the Litwick before shaking his head, "No, that doesn't sound right... on this day I-"

"What are you writing there?" asked the Vulpix, her face very close to Litwick's.

"um... j-just my diary," answered Litwick before regaining his composure, "You know, sometimes the best inspiration can come from daily experiences."

"I get my inspiration from video games," answered Vulpix, staring dead into Litwick's eyes, "By the way, is there an arcade on this island?"

"Did you seriously just ask that question?" asked Spiritomb, facepalming.

"Whatever." Vulpix answered, as she found a good rock to sit on and pulled out a custom Gameboy Advanced.

"Wait, where did that come from?" asked Spiritomb, clearly puzzled, "Um.. anyways, the next boat is coming!"

The boat landed and out came four Pokémon. A Fennekin, a Snivy, a Beldum, and a Frillish.

"Hmph, this looks nothing like the island in the advertisement," said Snivy, glaring at Spiritomb, "How surprising."

"Amazing what you can do with photoshop and a couple of filters." answered Spiritomb smirking.

"This place is beautiful!" exclaimed Fennekin in a royal British accent, smiling dreamily at the island, "So unlike the castle I- um, I mean, the city I lived in."

"Yes, islands and cities do look slightly different." Snivy replied sarcastically in an English accent. He evidently was tired of the conversation and began walking towards the island, followed by the happy Fennekin.

"Hello! I'm Frillish!" bubbled the Frillish cheerfully.

"Wow, you are happy." answered Spiritomb, unable to think of a witty comeback. She was just too... well, happy.

"So, um, Frillish," Spiritomb finally said, 'What do you think of the island?"

"Hello! I'm Frillish!"

"Uhhhhh..." Spiritomb made a confused face.

"Wow, this island is filled with plants." Frillish looked around at all the flowers and trees."

"Yeah, you wanna just scoot over there, with the rest of the contestants?" asked Spiritomb, practically pushing Frillish towards the others.

'My name's Frillish, by the way!" Frillish hollered as Spiritomb covered his ears and walked back to the shoreline. He continued walking until he bumped into a floating metal object.

"Oh, Beldum, you're still here." Spiritomb said, just noticing him. Beldum simply looked into Spiritomb's eyes which weireded him out.

"Um, you gonna say something? If not, can you go with the rest of the competitors?" asked Spiritomb, trying to get Beldum to stop looking at him. Finally, Beldum sighed, almost as if annoyed.

"Hmph." he grunted, and moved slowly towards the group.

"Sheesh," Spiritomb huffed, brushing himself off, "Um, anyways, onto our next boat! Geez, how many competitors do we have?"

Nevertheless, Spiritomb made his way towards the approaching boat to greet four more Pokémon. An Espurr, a Pumpkaboo, a Zubat, and a Solosis came out of the boat.

"So, how are you all doing?" asked Spiritomb, quite forced. The Espurr stared into what seemed like Spiritomb's souul while the Solosis was too consumed into a book he was levitating. Nobody answered until Zubat piped up.

"I'm pretty excited for the competition." Zubat smiled, but he was facing the opposite direction.

"Al-alright, I guess." Pumpkaboo squeaked. Spiritomb waited for the rest to respond but no one did.

"Huh, guess this one was the quiet group, huh?" asked Spiritomb, trying to make a joke. No one even giggled. The Solosis finally looked up from his book, a science textbook.

"I am doing fine this morning," answered Solosis sophisticatedly, "May I be excused so I can finish my book?"

"Um, I guess?" replied Spiritomb, not quite sure what to say. Solosis took that as a yes and floated away, reading his book. Zubat took this as a sign of leaving and he began flying away too... not before crashing into two trees on the way. Pumpkaboo shyly scooted away as well.

"So what about you?" asked Spiritomb, focusing on Espurr. She continued staring at him with her beady eyes, and with a slight smile on her face. Her whole complexion looked... off.

"Yeah, you're kinda creeping me out so can you move over there?" asked Spiritomb, motioning towards the island. she began walking but continued making eye contact as long as she could.

"Weird." Spiritomb said, shaking. He looked back towards the ocean and saw the next boat arrive. Out of the boat came a Murkrow, a Purrloin, a Starly, and a Slowpoke.

"Hello." said Slowpoke in a lazy, nonchalant tone.

"Hi." replied Spiritomb. No one said anything else for a few seconds.

"My my, isn't this an awkward situation." Purrloin smirked.

"The only reason we're not saying anything is because we're trying to hide our weaknesses." answered Starly.

"Interesting." noted Murkrow in a British accent. The three looked at each other, trying to get a hold of the situation.

"Whatever, I'm just gonna go." Starly answered, quickly flying away from the group.

"Well, I guess we know who the weak one here is." Purrloin smirked.

"Um, hello? I exist, you know?" Spiritomb barged into the two's conversation.

"Terribly sorry, I shoud get going. I've already overstayed my welcome." Murkrow tipped his hat towards them and soared off.

"I should go too." Purrloin purred as she walked off towards the others.

"No, I didn't mean for you to go!" exclaimed Spiritomb, annoyed, "Am I missing something here?"

"Hmm, maybe this will be somewhat interesting after all." whispered Slowpoke.

"You say something?"

"Huh?" answered Slopoke dumbly.

"Of course not." sighed Spiritomb, as Slowpoke crawled away. These contestants certainly were... different. As he was thinking, the next boat arrived and out came four more Pokémon. A Mienfoo, a Shuppet, a Smeargle, and a Kecleon appeared from the boat.

"You! Are you an enemy?" asked Mienfoo, as she did a somersault ending with her fist a few inches away from Spiritomb.

"What? No, I'm the host!" exclaimed Spiritomb, more scared than angry.

"Oh," answered Minefoo, before bowing down, "My sincerest apologies. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"As long as you don't take my head off, I think we'll be fine."

'Hmm... no, you're not my master either." frowned Shuppet as he gazed into Spiritomb's eyes. He took one final look at him before floating off towards the island.

"Wha- Hey! I didn't even introduce you!" complained Spiritomb.

"Wow, this island sure is beautiful," admired Smeargle, as he began sketching the island in a sketchbook he was carrying, "I'll definitely water colour this later!"

"Oh come on!" exclaimed Spiritomb annoyed, "That's, what? Five compliments for the island, but none for me? Simply impossible."

"Well, uh... purple certainly suits you." replied Smeargle nervously.

"Thanks, that was very nice." Spiritomb rolled his eyes.

"Um, where did the Kecleon go?" asked Mienfoo, looking around. She suddenly felt something behind her and leaped out of the way. Suddenly, Kecleon seemed to appear out of nowhere in front of her, out of breath.

"Oop, sorry, here I am." answered Kecleon, reappearing in front of her, "I can turn invisible, so I was trying to spook you, but I guess that didn't work out too well."

"Woah, so you can camouflage yourself at will?" asked Minefoo, clearly impressed.

"Yeah, it's kinda cool, I guess, and you get used to people freaking out cause you appear in front of them." Kecleon joked.

"Ha ha, alright, you guys have had enough screen time," grumbled Spiritomb, "Head towards the rest of the contestants and wait until everyone's here."

"Speaking of which, here comes another boat now!" exclaimed Spiritomb, grinning at the upcoming boat, while pushing the previous Pokémon out of view.

The boat was knocked up against the shoreline and four Pokémon tumbled out. A Geodude, a Joltik, an Azurill, and a Combee.

"Owee! That really hurt!" exclaimed Azurill, rolling around. It wasn't before tears swelled up in her eyes and she began crying.

"Heh, guess you could say it hurt a boatload." chuckled Combee.

"What? That didn't hurt at all!" Geodude, pounding his fists together.

"Man, that boatride! What a thrill!" Joltik exclaimed, visibly dizzy but still had a smile on his face.

"Guess we had to get another weird group sometime." Spiritomb smirked. At least these four were more talkative than the last. He then noticed the annoying wailing from Azurill.

"Come on, it didn't hurt that much, did it?" asked Spiritomb, replied with another cry, "Really should've set an age restriction."

"Hey, um, don't cry?" asked Joltik, "I'm not really good at this."

"How about an oran berry?" asked Combee, pulling out a berry from seemingly thin air. Surprisingly, Azurill stopped crying and happily took the berry and began eating it.

"Wow, that worked better than I thought." said Combee, smiling.

"Where did you get the berry from?" asked Spiritomb, puzzled.

"Magic." Combee grinned widely.

"Of course." Spiritomb rolled his eyes as he leaded the four to the rest of the group.

"Let's see, that's nine boats, right?" Spiritomb said, thinking aloud, "That means there should be-"

As if on cue, a boat came out from the corner of his eyes and headed towards the island.

"Ah, this should be the final boat!" exclaimed Spiritomb happily, "Thank Arceus!"

The final boat arrived and dropped off four Pokémon. A Deino, a Ferroseed, a Houndour, and a Mareep.

"Say that one more time and I'll rip you in half!" growled the Houndour.

"Try me," Ferroseed glared at Houndour, "All you'll be biting down on are my spikes."

"Please, guys, don't fight!" exclaimed Mareep, getting in between the two.

"You heard the lady," Ferroseed didn't take his eyes off the hound, "We'll settle this later."

"Agreed." barked Houndour and the two went opposite ways.

"That's not what I meant." Mareep squeaked, worriedly.

"I'm not even gonna ask." Spiritomb backed away from the conversation.

"Amazing how fast you can start a fight." muttered Deino smirking, as he sneaked away.

"Well, I guess that's all of them," Spiritomb said to himself, "I don't know what I was expecting from a cast, but I was definitely hoping for a group more... normal. Anyways, let's go explain the rules!"

 **Spiritomb: "By the way, located in various places around the island are tiny booths like this one. In here, you can talk about anything you want, competition related or not, any confessionals are welcome, especially dark secrets!"**

 **000**

"So explain why you were talking to yourself in that outpost." Snivy said.

"Don't worry about that, I'll edit it later," Spiritomb smirked, "Anyways, onto the rules!"

"I thought this was the typical TPI gameshow." answered Porygon.

"Yes and no. Many of the things in this gameshow will be the same as those in a regular TPI except one thing, elements."

"That explains the name of the show." Snivy rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, that's gonna make you a fan favourite," Spiritomb glared at him, "Anyways, the reason this gameshow is called Total Pokémon Elemental Island is because it will be based around the Pokémon elements."

"You mean the Pokémon types." Solosis said.

"Element sounds better. Besides, who would want to join 'Total Pokémon Type Island'?" asked Spiritomb rhetorically.

"Fair enough." answered Solosis.

"Moving on, like I said, most of this will follow regular TPI rules. There will be challenges and eliminations and last Pokémon standing gets the prize, blah blah blah."

"That... wasn't very informative." replied Squirtle, confused.

"Don't worry, you'll get it soon," Spiritomb smirked, "Anyways, I'll explain some oter things later as we get to them, but for now, let's get on with the first challenge!"

 **Snivy: "Hmph, so much for a tropic paradise. It seems like I've been tricked into one of those insane gameshows with the crazy host... Of course."**

 **000**

Spiritomb teleported them to the middle of the island, where there was a big clearing. In this clearing were one big cabin, three slightly smaller cabins and a spinning wheel in the middle of the clearing.

"Here is where you'll be spending most of the competition," explained Spiritomb, "The big cabin will be where you guys eat and the other three cabins will be where you sleep based on your teams."

"Teams?" asked Porygon.

"Yes, and these teams will be determined by the first challenge." concluded Spiritomb, grinning.

"What about that big wheel in the middle?" asked Chimchar.

"That will be what determines our first challenge," continued Spiritomb smirking, "This will be the first big twist in TPEI. Each challenge will be based on a specific element, which will be determined by this wheel."

"How is that fair?" asked Snivy, incredulous, "The Pokémon typings here are definitely uneven."

"Tough luck." was all Spiritomb answered.

"So can we get on with the challenge already?" asked Vulpix, impatient.

"Well, we need someone to spin the wheel."

"Oh oh! Can I do it?" asked Azurill, springing up in joy.

"Hey look Eevee! There's someone you can play with!" laughed Sentret. Eevee was definitely not impressed and moved away from Sentret.

"Oh come on! That was just a joke!" exclaimed Sentret, running after her.

Azurill, after some help from Spiritomb, got the wheel turning. It spun round and round until it landed on one section: Water.

"Water, huh?" Spiritomb asked with a twinkle in his eye, "This should be interesting."

"I d-don't like the sound of that." Magnemite muttered nervously.

 **Magnemite: "I've always hated the water. E-ever dropped a magnet in the water? It doesn't float.**

 **000**

"The first challenge will be a simple water gun fight." Spiritomb announced, smirking, "With one little twist."

"We're in the middle of the ocean!" exclaimed Litwick scared. The rest of the fire-types were shaking as well. Spiritomb had teleported them to a gigantic wooden platform in a body of water and gave them each water guns. On this wooden platform were many places to hide for cover, making the whole platform practically a maze. The wooden platform was big enough to give each of them some arm space, but they were still bunched pretty close together.

"Relax, we're just in a lake somewhere in the island." answered Spiritomb smirking.

"That's reassuring." Snivy rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry, everyone! I will protect you all from this watery nightmare!" exclaimed Honedge, using himself to slash at the water, "Take that! And that!"

"Is he doing this for humour?" asked Houndour, clearly not amused.

"Hopefully, this guy's hilarious!" Combee was laughing.

"Even if he was, your stupid dog brain wouldn't be able to understand it." Ferroseed snickered.

"And your plant brain can?" growled Houndour angrily.

"Ahem!" Spiritomb coughed, getting their attention, "That wasn't the twist. The twist is in your water guns. One shot from those suckers and you can blast someone all the way to the other side of the island."

"Hey, now you don't have to worry about falling into water!" Geodude exclaimed reassuringly, patting Litwick on the back. Litwick just sighed and facepalmed.

"Anyways, the drawback is that you only get three shots with each gun, so make them count. Your goal will be to shoot everyone else off the board. Last three remaining will be the team captains. Good luck and get shooting!"

With that, Spiritomb teleported himself out of sight.

"So, uh, how are we supposed to fire these?" asked Squirtle, turning the water gun around.

"You pull the trigger." answered Eevee, aiming the gun at Sentret and firing. A giant surge of water exploded out of the gun and sent Sentret flying into the sky.

"Huh, guess it works." Eevee looked at her gun, eyebrows arched.

 **Eevee: "That felt good."**

 **Sentret: "Well, at least she noticed me."**

 **000**

"Woah woah woah! Did you just shoot him?" asked Sandshrew nervously.

"That's the point." Vulpix replied, pointing her at him. He went flying off as well.

"Uh, hey dudes? Why don't we just talk about- Gah!" exclaimed Mudkip, as Joltik sped past him on his gun.

"Wooooooooo!" screamed Joltik, riding his gun like a horse, as he launched himself into the sky.

"Whew, that was- Ahh!" Mudkip yelped, noticing Vulpix's gun pointed at him. He rolled away just in time for the shot to miss.

"Tsk, nice dodge." complimented Vulpix flatly.

"Um, thanks?" replied Mudkip, unsure. He turned around, only to be shot in the back of the head.

"Never turn your eyes away from the enemy." said Minefoo seriously.

"Wait, you're joining this too?" asked Smeargle. He was sketching out a picture of the water gun when it got torn from his hands by a water jet.

"Hey!" he exclaimed angrily. Gible was looking at him, smirking, and aimed his shot at his head. Smeargle fumed as he saw his gun lying on the ground. He picked it up just as Gible fired and dodged the shot.

"Take this!" Smeargle yelled, firing blindly. When he opened his eyes, he realized Gible was still there... but Pumpkaboo, Mareep, and Frillish weren't.

"Oops." he muttered, as a shot from Gible's gun took him out.

 **Smeargle: "Well, at least my sketchbook's not we- Oh..."**

 **Gible: "Ha ha! Too easy."**

 **000**

"Ha ha! Have a nice drip!" Combee laughed at his own joke, as he soaked Honedge into the water. He turned around and saw Beldum floating in the middle of the platform. He aimed his gun at him.

"Hey! Water you waiting for?" asked Combee, chuckling, about to take aim when he was shot from behind. Beldum had levitated his gun to be behind Combee.

 **Combee: "Hmm, these water jokes are pretty hard to make... I'm gonna have to pond-er about it! Ha!"**

 **000**

"Nice shot." said a voice from behind Beldum. He turned around to see Deino looking at him.

"You gonna shoot me?" asked Beldum in a gruff voice.

"Nah, ran out of shots," replied Deino, his empty water gun clicking, "Just wanted to ask you for yours."

"You ran out?" asked Beldum flatly.

"Yeah, I took out Squirtle, Solosis, and Espurr. Might as well get as much out of this as I can, right?"

Suddenly, a shot reputed from beside them. Beldum was lucky enough to dodge out of the way but Deino wasn't and the water slammed him in the face. Instead of flying off however, his head smacked into the wooden platform.

"Heads up." a voice warned from behind them. Beldum turned around to see a gun pointed at his head. Gible was holding that gun, smirking.

"Any last words?" Gible grunted, getting ready to pull the trigger.

"Heads up." replied Beldum simply. Gible was too focused on him to realize that Beldum had levitated his gun behind Gible. Beldum pulled the trigger and Gible was launched straight into the air. He was launched so far, he landed in a faraway mountain with a satisfying thump.

"Ha ha! That was amazing!" Deino laughed at Gible's pain, "Man, I hope he broke a bone or something!"

"Why would you say that?" asked Beldum, in his monotonous tone.

"Why? Cause it's funny." Deino replied, smirking. Beldum looked at him for a few more seconds before starting to float away. Deino quickly followed behind.

"Why are you following me?" asked Beldum.

"Duh, so when you get shot, I can take your gun." stated Deino simply.

"And what if I shoot you?" Beldum levitated his gun at Deino's head.

"Then that'd be pretty funny as well," Deino answered, still smirking, "But sadly, I know you won't."

"And why is that?"

"Because you only shoot those who are gonna attack you."

Beldum stared at Deino again, trying to read his face.

"Hmph." Beldum grunted, turned away, and began floating away again.

 **Deino: "Pain to others, pain to myself, it doesn't matter. As long as it's painful to someone, I'm happy!"**

 **000**

"Come at me, you pussy!" screamed Honedge, as he threw his gun at Ferroseed. it had been a long time since both of them had ran out of shots, and now they were going to brawl it out.

"You asked for it." Ferroseed seethed, as he sprung out one of his spiky vines. He launched it at Houndour, who dodged it and returned it with a flamethrower. This continued on and on, both sides never giving up.

"Hmm, it seems like they're evenly matched." Ralts noted, watching from afar.

"Wait, so you mean they could be fighting forever?" asked Azurill.

"Yes, which is surprising," thought Ralts, "Houndour should be four times more powerful because he is a fire type, which is super-effective against Ferroseed since he is both grass and steel."

All of a sudden, Ferroseed and Houndour charged at each other, causing both to be knocked back and fall off the platform.

"Huh, seems like it ended in a tie." noted Ralts.

"Woah, you talk really fast." Azurill said cutely.

"I need to talk fast to keep up with my train of thought." answered Ralts, couldn't helping but smile.

"I like trains!" exclaimed Azurill happily. Suddenly, a bolt of water came up from behind her and sent her speeding off the platform. Ralts spun around to see Deino laughing his head off, holding a gun. Beldum was beside him with a stony expression.

"Did you just shoot a child?" asked Ralts angrily.

"Yeah! Ha! You should've seen the look on her face when she went flying!" Deino was laughing maniacally. Ralts couldn't contain herself and used her psychic abilities. slowly but surely, Deino was lifted into the air.

"Oh hey, are you doing this?" asked Deino, still giggling. When he was high enough in the air, Ralts flung her arm from one side to the other. This was mimicked with Deino, as he soared through the sky and ended up in the water.

"Huh, guess I could've used my moves." mumbled Beldum. Ralts was considering flinging Beldum into the drink as well, but calmed herself down. She knew she shouldn't have done that. Even if what Deino did was terrible, if she wanted to be a proper detective, she'd have to keep her cool. Ralts took a step off the platform into the water.

 **Ralts: "I was lucky this time. Next time, it might cost someone's life."**

 **000**

"Wow, you guys sure take each other quick! I'll quickly announce who's still in. Purrloin, Chimchar, Magnemite, Shuppet, Vulpix, Zubat, Mienfoo, Starly, Murkrow, Purrloin, and Fennekin! You are the last ten remaining! Remember, only three of you can become team captains. Good luck and happy spraying!"

"Did he really just say that?" asked Starly, rolling his eyes, "And where is he talking from? Whatever, it doesn't matter anyways."

He looked around him. So far, so good. No sign of Murkrow or Purrloin. If he or the other Pokémon could take them out, then he might have a good chance of winning.

"But when did I ever care about winning?" whispered Starly rhetorically, "No, I just want to beat those two."

"Whatcha whisperin' about?" asked a smooth voice from behind him. Starly turned around to see Purrloin smirking at him.

"How did you?' he asked, speechless.

"I could smell you from a mile away," Purrloin explained, "And now, you'll be flying a mile away."

Just as she said that, she blasted a shot of water from her water gun. Starly tried dodging it but it was too late, and he was sent flying across the platform and into the water.

"Now for that pesky Murkrow." she purred, looking around to see if anyone was there.

 **Starly: "Purrloin may be able to sneak up behind me, but I have info over everyone. Now all I need to do is exploit it."**

 **000**

Chimchar had never been so happy in his life. Who knew, all the playfighting and roughhousing he did as a kid would actually be put to use here. Unfortunately, he hadn't gotten the chance to shoot anyone, but he kept an eye out for others.

Suddenly, a figure moved out from the corner of his eye. Chimchar noticed it and quickly dove for some nearby cover. He looked over, but saw no one.

"Huh, looks like I'm not the only one who's been training." he whispered, smirking. He rolled out of cover and put his gun ahead of him, ready to pull the trigger. However, no one was there.

"Hmm, no, you're not my master either." mumbled a voice form behind him. He turned around to see a floating Shuppet.

"Ahhhh!" Chimchar screamed, firing randomly at Shuppet. Shuppet skillfully dodged the shots and pulled out his gun. With one swift click, a surge of water smacked chimchar in the face and then in the water.

"Impressive, you're not half bad." complimented a voice from behind Shuppet. He spun around to see Murkrow smirking and slowly clapping. He pointed his gun at the bird.

"You're not my master either," said Shuppet, then adding, "Die."

He took the shot but Murkrow predicted it and flew away. Shuppet tried shooting again, but he was out. Murkrow used his wings to prick Shuppet in certain pressure points. Shuppet was completely paralyzed and sunk to the platform. Murkrow smiled at him before knocking him into the water.

"That was a nice try but you'll have to get a lot better to beat me," said Murkrow, talking to no one in particular, "Ah, a fight really takes the enrgy out of you, no matter how small. I should retire now, wouldn't want to get hurt after all."

Murkrow strolled to the side of the platform and took a step off, cooling himsef off in the fresh liquid.

 **Starly: "Hmm, it's unlike Murkrow to refuse a chance to become the leader of something, even as minor as team captain... He must have a plan."**

 **000**

"Now only five remain!" announced Spiritomb, "Magnemite, Zubat, Vulpix, Purrloin, and Mienfoo! Three of you will become captains and the other two will become... wet. Yeah, okay, really gotta revise my scripts."

"W-wow, I made it into the final five." mumbled Magnemite, as he cautiously peaked around the corner of a wall. Given the fact that he had no hands, he couldn't even use his gun, which made the event even more impossible. But here he was, cowering in a corner.

"M-maybe the others shot each other?" asked Magnemite hopefully, "No, but I don't wanna be c-captain, so that's no g-good either."

Magnemite continued floating around the platform, hoping he wouldn't run into any- Vulpix appeared right before him.

"Hello." she said flatly, aiming her gun at him.

"Ahhhh!" he screamed, doing a quick 180 and speeding down the other direction. Vulpix continued pointing her gun at him, however she didn't shoot. It took a few minutes for Magnemite to calm down.

"W-wait, are y-you not going to shoot me?" asked Magnemite, flinching, thinking she would shoot him.

"You should really check if your opponent has ammo before running away." Vulpix commented, clicking her gun to no avail. Magnemite stared at her, breathing hard before responding.

"C-couldn't you have told me?" asked Magnemite, trying to sound angry, but was still quite frightened.

"Duck." answered Vulpix flatly.

"W-what? What is that s-supposed to-" started Magnemite, before a burst of water knocked him over the head and into the water. Purrloin stood behind him, purring and smirking at Vulpix.

"Should've ducked. Guess it's game over for you." Vulpix noted, looking at Magnemite fizzling in the water.

 **Magnemite: "I r-really -bzt- hate this game..."**

 **000**

"Well, if it isn't the gamer girl." taunted Purrloin.

"Nice to see you too." Vulpix replied cooly and with no emotion.

"You don't show much emotion," said Purrloin, and then adding, "Or much of anything, for that matter."

"I don't need to." and with that, Vulpix dove behind some cover, just as Purrloin shot her gun. Purrloin tried shooting it again, but she had used her three bullets already. Angrily, she smacked the gun on the ground.

"If that's how you want to play." Purrloin growled, taking out her claws. She tried scenting Vulpix out, but suddenly, Vulpix burst out of the corner of a wall and tackled Purrloin. The both of them started rolling on the ground, neither willing to give up.

"Stop chasing me!" screamed a voice, interrupting the both of them. They saw Zubat flapping around, bumping into the walls, as Mienfoo appeared behind him and chased him.

"This is simply for the challenge. I mean no distaste between us." Minefoo stated calmly, barely missing a high jump kick. Zubat cried out again, trying to fly away from the impact. The two continued like this, and Vulpix and Purrloin just watched. Finally, Vulpix realized her opportunity and dove into Purrloin again, making them tumble, and both fall into the water.

"Ahh! Help, she's gonna kill me!" Zubat screamed, as he was held down by Mienfoo.

"Please forgive me for doing this." Mienfoo apologized, as she rasied her fist above the air.

"Woah, woah! Slow down! Looks like we have our final three!" exclaimed Spiritomb excitedly.

"Wha? What?" asked Zubat, exasperated. Mienfoo got off him and immediately bowed down to him.

"It was a pleasure fighting you." Mienfoo said happily.

"You... too..." Zubat droned on, as he fell on the platform and fainted.

"Zubat, Mienfoo, and..." Spiritomb paused, before realizing that there were only two people on the platform. He looked into the water and saw Purrloin and Vulpix trying to swim in the water.

"Aaaaand?" asked Purrloin, spitting out a line of water. Vulpix was still struggling to get afloat, and had to use the platform for support.

"Aaaaand... I couldn't tell, so let's watch the video playback!"

 **Purrloin: "He's lucky he's the host, or else I'd rip him to shreds!"**

 **Spiritomb: "Jokes on her, ghosts can't be ripped to shreds!"**

 **Purrloin: "You know what I mean!"**

 **Spiritomb: "Ahhhh!"**

 **000**

"So, from video evidence," Spiritomb finally announced, "The third and final team captain... is... Purrloin!"

Spiritomb had teleported all the Pokémon to dry land, where he announced the news. There was a minor round of applause from the crowd of Pokémon, a glance from Starly and a smirk from Murkrow. Purrloin took it all in stride.

 **Purrlion: "And that was just the first victory. If everything else goes to plan, I'll have all the Pokémon wrapped around my paws."**

 **Spiritomb: "Ahem, Vulpix? Isn't there something you want to say after almost becoming captain?"**

 **Vulpix: *Plays on GBA***

 **Spiritomb: "Sigh..."**

 **000**

"Alright, now that the challenge is over and the captains are picked, let's do the teams!" announced Spiritomb.

"Wait, so we don't pick the teams?" asked Zubat.

"No, you'll just be the captain of the team." replied Spiritomb.

"What? Shouldn't we get to pick the teams since we're team captains?" asked Purrloin, before noticing her mistake and coughing awkwardly.

"No, I already made the teams, but don't worry," Spiritomb smirked, "Team captains will get a secret benefit."

The three captains looked at each other, trying to figure out what he meant, but none of them had a clue.

"Anyways, on with the teams," Spiritomb teleported in a list, "Zubat's team: Zubat, Squirtle, Gible, Eevee, Sentret, Magnemite, Porygon, Vulpix, Beldum, Espurr, Murkrow, Chikoreta, and Smeargle."

"Hey, you know what? That sounds like a pretty good team." Zubat cheerfully flapped his wings. His group members gathered round him, and waved at each other, some more friendly than others.

"Hey, Eevee!" Sentret waved at her through the crowd, "We're on the same team!"

"Just kill me now." Eevee facepalmed.

"Hmph, this team is useless." Gible grumbled under his breath.

"Ah, now here's where the real game begins." Murkrow whispered, a twinkle in his eye.

"Alright, next is Mienfoo's team!" exclaimed Spiritomb, "And the members are Mienfoo, Chingling, Paras, Sandshrew, Fennekin, Ralts, Litwick, Snivy, Pumpkaboo, Starly, Kecleon, Azurill, and Combee!"

"I am very proud to be calling you comrades," Mienfoo bowed to all of them, "I hope that we can win this competition together!"

"Yaaaay!" Azurill shouted, smiling at team.

"Well, isn't this lovely." Snivy said sarcastically.

"Oh hey, you're the stuck up, British guy, right?" asked Chingling nonchalantly.

"This is going to be a long day." Snivy glared at the floating Pokémon.

"Don't you mean 'bee'?" asked Combee, smirking. Snivy just groaned and put his head in his hands.

"Wow, I've never been on a team before!" Sandshrew met his fellow teammates enthusiastically, shaking all of their hands.

"Really?" asked Fennekin, "Haven't you ever been on a sports team or the like."

"No, my mom usually makes me stay home all day, but not today!" Sandshrew exclaimed triumphantly. Fennekin just gave a sweet smile in response.

 **Fennekin: "I can relate with Sandshrew. When I was in the royal palace, I never got to- Wait... Please don't tell me that was recorded!"**

 **000**

"Hmm, this is an interesting team." Ralts noted in her mind.

"And finally, Purrloin's team,' Spiritomb announced, "Which is made of Purrloin, Chimchar, Honedge, Mudkip, Mareep, Frillish, Solosis, Slowpoke, Geodude, Joltik, Deino, Ferroseed, and Houndour!"

"What? I'm on the same team with Ferroseed?" asked Hondour in disbelief.

"And I'm with Houndour?" seethed Ferroseed. The two looked ready to get into another fight.

"Hey, why don't we just all calm down?" asked Mareep sweetly. The two glared at her before they went opposite ways.

"Hmph, of course I get the worst ones." Purrloin growled under her breath.

"Wait, which team am I on again?" asked Frillish absentmindedly.

"Dude, are you asleep?" asked Mudkip. He nudged Slowpoke's tail.

"Huh?" asked Slowpoke dumbly, "I'm hungry."

"The vegetation here seems edible." Solosis answered, studying a tree's fruits.

"Want me to punch it?" asked Geodude, cracking his knuckles.

"Please don't," Spiritomb stopped him, "Now, as you may notice, there's something about the teams."

"Hmm, there are three teams of thirteen," calculated Porygon, "But 40 Pokémon came. That means one of us isn't in a team."

"But who is it?" asked Mudkip. Everyone started looking at each other, trying to find the missing Pokémon.

"Wait," Porygon thought aloud, "Shuppet's not here."

"You got it." Spiritomb smirked. Just as he said that, Shuppet appeared out of a nearby tree, glaring at Spiritomb.

"I will not leave without finding my master." Shuppet growled. All of a sudden, Shuppet rushed towards Spiritomb, charging a Shadow Ball. However, Spiritomb saw him coming and teleported a few inches away to avoid being hit. After Shuppet missed him, Spiritomb's eyes began to glow and Shuppet disappeared.

"Um, what happened to him?" asked Kecleon.

"I teleported him." Spiritomb answered nonchalantly.

"But where did he go?"

"Somewhere." Spiritomb said, not very reassuringly. He noticed the Pokémon were looking a bit scared, so he quickly corrected his mistake.

"I mean, I teleported him somewhere for eliminated contestants," explained Spiritomb, "But I have to keep the place a secret."

"But why him?" asked Chikoreta.

"It was by random chance," Spiritomb replied, "Plus, he seemed crazy, so that was a factor."

The Pokémon stood in silence, thinking about what just happened.

 **Squirtle: "Well that was, unexpected. I feel bad for him, even though he might possibly be insane."**

 **Ralts: "I wonder if that's how we're all going to be eliminated... And where do the eliminated contestants go? More mysteries and not many answers..."**

 **000**

"Alright, now that that's done, we-" began Spiritomb, before Zubat interrupted him.

"Wait, what about the team names?" asked Zubat.

"What, you're not happy with 'Zubat's team'?" asked Spiritomb sarcastically.

"Can we pick our own team names?" begged Zubat.

"Yes, I'd like that as well." Mienfoo clasped her hands together.

"Fine, fine," Spiritomb rolled his eyes, "I'll give you five minutes to think of a team name. Once you say it, there's no changing it!"

The team huddled together trying to think of a team name.

"Alright guys," Zubat said excitedly, "Our team name should be something cool-"

"Zubat's team will now be known as 'Something Cool'." Spiritomb announced. Zubat's face drained of colour, as the rest of his team sighed or face palmed, and the other Pokémon tried suppressing their laughter.

"Nice going, captain." Gible shoved Zubat hard. Zubat just sighed in frustration.

 **Zubat: "I always screw up, always! And this time, it wasn't even cause I was blind! When they realize I'm such a weak competitor, they'll definitely vote me off..."**

 **000**

Minefoo's team whispered for a while, until they all nodded and Mienfoo rose up.

"We'd like to be known as 'Team Undefeatable'!" she exclaimed.

"Well, it's kinda unoriginal, but I guess it's better than nothing." Spiritomb shrugged.

"Maybe that should have been our team name." Gible sneered.

"Hey, come on now, it wasn't Zubat's fault," Chikoreta defended, "He didn't know."

"He should have." Gible mumbled to himself. Finally, after a bit Purrloin also came up from her team.

"Our team will be known as 'The Darkclaw Brotherhood'!" she exclaimed, followed by a hurrah from her teammates. Starly almost doubled over and Murkrow simply gave his signature smirk.

"Ooh, it sounds dark and mysterious. I like it," Spiritomb smirked, "Definitely the best of the three."

"Why thank you." Purrloin smiled warmly. The rest of the Pokémon also seemed to be okay with the name.

 **Starly: "Oh no, she can't use that name. Not here, and definitely not with Murkrow around. Why is she uncovering our secrets?"**

 **Murkrow: "Oh Purrloin, there's the spark I wanted to see."**

 **Purrloin: "It's time for a revolution. I'm going to make a new Darkclaw Brotherhood."**

 **000**

"Oh yeah, one more thing," Spiritomb teleported them to a camp area, "Here is where you'll be living!"

The Pokémon turned their heads and were faced with three cabins. They were equal in proportions, about as big as two houses, and there were windows on each side, and two doors in the front of the cabin. Although they seemed a little rough, the cabins actually looked pretty nice and spacious.

"What's that thing?" asked Chimchar, pointing to a big sign in front of the cabins. The others looked as well.

"It could be a map," suggested Solosis, "But it's not very descriptive."

"Yes, that is a map of the entire island." Spiritomb explained.

"Wait, but it's just a big circle!" exclaimed Squirtle, confused. Indeed, as the Pokémon looked at the map, they noticed it was strangely, empty. It was a big white sheet with a circle in the middle, divided into 18 sections, each a different colour.

"That big circle is the entire island," replied Spiritomb nonchalantly, "Each section represents a different Pokémon type." The others looked very confused.

"What? But I thought we arrived by the shore-" began Chimchar, before being cut off by Spiritomb.

"Yes, the shoreline of the Normal section," continued Spiritomb, "Which is also the section where most of the camp is located."

"Let me guess, we were in the Water section for the challenge?" asked Solosis.

"Yup, each challenge will be in a different section!" exclaimed Spiritomb, impressed of himself.

"Can we move on to the cabins?" asked Snivy, "My legs are tired."

"I'm not tired at all." Spiritomb smirked.

"That's because you don't have legs." Snivy replied, annoyed.

"Alright, if you insist," Spiritomb rolled his eyes, "Let's talk about the cabins."

"First thing you ought to know, there are three cabins, one for each team." Spiritomb said.

"Are the boys' rooms with the girls?" asked Purrloin immediately.

"Yes." answered Spiritomb simply, causing some groans from the girls and a few snickers from the boys.

"Ooh, you think we're gonna do the naughty?" asked Gible smirking, earning a few glares from the girls.

"Well, yeah," shrugged Spiritomb, "It's bound to happen, so I might as well not bother trying to keep you guys away from each other."

"And how would you know this?" asked Snivy, arching a brow.

"Do you know how quickly things go south?" asked Spiritomb smirking. Snivy just gave him an eye roll.

"Anyways," Spiritomb tried getting back on topic, "Why don't we take a look of inside the cabins?"

He motioned towards the cabin to the left, and he ushered all of them into the cabin. The insides looked like a normal cabin, wood walls, a fireplace and everything. On the sides, there were thirteen doors, one for each Pokémon. These doors led to each Pokémon's individual rooms. In each room was a bed and a little drawer next to each bed with a lock, that they could use to store personal things. Overall, it seemed very nice.

"Hey, this actually looks pretty good!" Chimchar exclaimed, looking around the room.

"Whoopee!" Joltik exclaimed, bouncing on one of the beds.

"Surprising you could afford this." Snivy scoffed.

"Ha ha, I actually rented this island off of the previous owner," explained Spiritomb, "Did a little home improvement and voila!"

"Wait, so people actually lived here before?" asked Sandshrew, curious.

"Supposedly. then something big happened that caused everyone moved out," Spiritomb replied, "But trust, whatever happened won't happen again."

"Anyways, enough talking, I need a break," Spiritomb said, noticing the fading sun, "Go back to your cabins and prepare for the next day."

"Wait, so we can do whatever we want now?" asked Mudkip, looking at the growing waves.

"You should sleep, but I guess it's free time now." Spiritomb shrugged.

Some of the Pokémon began exploring the island. The rest of the Pokémon in Zubat's team went into their rooms, and the other Pokémon filed out and began heading to their own cabins. Spiritomb looked over all of this with pride.

"Ahhh, this is definitely the life." Spiritomb said, proud that he was able to do this thing, 'Now, to prepare for the next day."

 **000**

 **Phew, finally done. Lots of introductions and exposition but might as well do it all in the first chapter, than shove it in with the rest. I tried fitting at least some character development in there, but unfortunately, not everyone got a lot of screen time. Also, Shuppet got the boot. I know, totally unexpected, but I do have plans for him so don't worry.**

 **I'll try to release these every other week, so check in to see if I've posted any new chapters.**

 **Also, please tell me what you think about it, what you liked, or what you didn't like, doesn't matter, any review is good! :D**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **BlandToucan**


	2. Ch 2- Pick Your Poison

**Why am I writing about the sun and moon again? Ha ha, no, but isn't it just my luck that they decide to announce new Pokémon games when I start writing? I might include some of the new Pokémon in the competition, but it all depends where this story goes.**

 **Other than that, hope you enjoy reading! :D**

 **000**

"You've obviously crossed the line." Starly said. He, Murkrow, and Purrloin were gathered in a well hidden area of one of the island's forests.

"Oh?" Purrloin smirked, "How so?"

"You could have picked any other name," Starly began, "But no, you had to use our secret group's name."

"And how is that a problem?" asked Purrloin, loving the way Starly was heating up.

"Emphasis on secret." Starly said, stressing the word.

"Water under the bridge," answered Purrloin, brushing him off, "It's not like anyone knows about it."

"And how do you know that?" asked Starly.

"We're the only three who know about it, and unless you told any of them, they wouldn't have a clue."

"That-" starly began, before thinking about. She did have a point. If nobody but them knew about it, there was a very slim possibility that they would be exposed. But still, the possibility remained, and that was what worried him.

"And you're just going to accept this?" he asked, turning to Murkrow, "She put our family's work on the line, which took ages to get to that point, and now you're gonna let her throw it all away?"

Murkrow simply looked at him and tipped his hat.

"Well, there's nothing we can do now," he answered, "We'll just have to wait and see what happens."

And with that, he took off, heading back to the camp cabins.

"Ooh, I like a mysterious man." Purrloin purred. Starly just rolled his eyes.

 **Starly: "What would even be the point of naming her team that? Arceus, sometimes I feel like she does these things just to ruffle my feathers."**

 **Combee: "Ha, get it? Cause he's a bird? Ha! Nice one, author."**

 **Um...**

 **000**

Vulpix was seated on a rock, playing on her GBA, when the screen went black. She tried pressing the power button a few times, but nothing happened.

"Guess it ran out of battery." she said, looking for a way to charge it. She saw Magnemite floating nearby, about to go into the cabin.

"Hey Magnemite." Vulpix said, with slightly more emotion. Magnemite jumped at the sound of her voice, and turned around quickly.

"O-oh, it's you," he said, reminded of the first challenge, "Wh-what do you want?"

"Can you charge my GBA battery?" she asked, although it was more of a statement.

"U-um, how would I do that?" he asked, moving back.

"Just spark it, and it'll probably be good." she responded monotone.

"T-that doesn't seem very s-safe." he said, starting to turn around, "I-I think I should go..."

"But you're on my team." Vulpix pleaded, nudging the GBA solemnly. Magnemite felt somewhat bad and turned back around.

"Okay, I g-guess I can try." he mumbled, charging a little shock. He let out a bolt of electricity and it hit the GBA directly. It flew into the air, and made a 'zap' noise.

"Ahh!" he exclaimed, jumping back. Vulpix approached the GBA and tried turning it on.

"Huh, it works," she noted, able to get back to her game, "Thanks."

"N-no problem." he said, breathing heavy. He tried calming himself down, as Vulpix went back to her rock and continued playing.

 **Magnemite: "I-I'm not good with loud noises, or any noises at all, for that matter... I'm such a wimp."**

 **000**

"I don't see how that's even possible." Chimchar stated. He and Squirtle were watching Mudkip ride a wave with a big tree branch.

"Woohoo! Bros, this is radical!" Mudkip exclaimed, feeling the wind in his face.

"You gonna join him?" asked Squirtle smirking.

"Ha ha," Chimchar rolled his eyes, "You know that fire and water don't mix well."

"That is, if you fall."

"Yeah, because I'll totally nail it the first time."

"Well, at least Mudkip's enjoying himself," Squirtle said, before yawning, "Yeah, I think it's time I go hit the hay."

"Alright, night dude." Chimchar replied.

"Good night." Squirtle said, heading back to his team's cabin. Chimchar simply continued watching Mudkip and smiled.

 **Chimchar: "After the challenge, I hit it off with Mudkip and Squirtle. They seem like really cool guys, and I think if we work together, we could get really far in this game!"**

 **Mudkip: "Aw yeah, dudes! These waves are amazing!"**

 **000**

"Hey Beldum, whatcha doing?" asked an annoying voice. Beldum sighed and stopped what he was doing. He turned around, seeing Deino right behind him.

"What do you want, Deino?" asked Beldum flatly.

"You know, this is the first time we talked since the challenge." Deino smirked. Beldum just blinked slowly.

"You're not very talkative, are you?" asked Deino jokingly.

"I say what I need to." Beldum replied simply.

"Anyways, what are you doing, moving rocks?" Deino asked, nudging a big rock lying on the sand. They were by the coast, a short walking distance away from the camp.

"I'm practicing my levitation skills." Beldum responded, lifting the rock a fewe feet above the ground as an example. As Beldum was bringing the rock down, Deino dove under just as the rock was about to fall, causing it to smash him over the head.

"Ouch! Woah, that really hurt." Deino said, clutching his head in pain, while also laughing uncontrollably at the same time. beldum rolled his eyes. He'd seen Deino hurt himself lots of times after the challenge, so this was no news to him.

"I don't see how you enjoy behing harmed." Beldum scoffed.

"You wanna try it?" asked Deino jokingly, "Ha, no, I guess it's something I just like doing. It's like an instinct, you know?"

"No, I don't know."

"Well, whatever," Deino brushed Beldum off, "You don't seem like the person who'd like being hurt."

"No I don't." Beldum replied, and with that, he began heading back to his cabin. He began floating off, when he suddenly dodged to the side, just as a sharp rock whizzed by him.

"Darn! Almost got you though!" Deino smirked. Beldum glared at him before continuing on his way.

 **000**

"So, uh, Combee?" asked Geodude, "What are you doing?"

Combee was trying to carry a piece of wood, obviously too big for him, to a pile of wood boards.

"Carrying... some... wood..." he panted, before he dropped the wood and dropped to the ground. Geodude looked concerned, and approached the downed bee. Suddenly, he rose up and caused a slight scream from Geodude.

"Ha! Gotcha!" exclaimed Combee, giggling madly, "But that wood sure is heavy, mind helping me out?"

"Maybe don't scare me to death first." Geodude breathed heavily, but he couldn't contain his smile and laughed with Combee. Geodude easily lifted all the wooden boards, carrying three in each hand.

"Wow, you can carry a lot of stuff." complimented Combee.

"Thanks, it's cause of my rock-hard biceps." Geodude flexed, while giving Combee a smirk.

"Ha! You wood say that, wouldn't you?" Combee smiled widely, "I like your style."

"So where do you want these?" asked Geodude, without breaking a sweat.

"Just put it by the two trees," replied Combee, fluttering to the tree, "We can use it as a sort of support."

Geodude brought the boards to the trees and the two, mostly Geodude, began placing them neatly against the trees.

"How will these stay put though?" asked Geodude, "Don't you need something to stick them together?"

"I don't know, got any ideas?"

"Maybe we can punch it into the ground?" asked Geodude, readying his fist.

"Maybe, but we should look for something-" began Combee, before he saw Ferroseed approaching. A lightbulb appeared over his head.

"Hey Ferroseed! Mind helping us out for a bit?" Combee exclaimed, getting his attention.

"What do want?" he asked, walking towards the two.

"Can you use your vines to ingrain these wood boards to the ground?" asked Combee.

"Well, I guess," he answered, checking to see if Houndour was around, "Yeah, sure."

"Great!" Combee exclaimed, his face lighting up, "Don't worry, we don't need that much, just enough so that the boards can stay in place."

"Alright." Ferroseed answered. He concentrated, and little vines grew out of the ground, amazing both Combee and Geoudude. Cautiously, he wrapped the vines around the boards, careful not to go too tight or too loose. Unfortunately, he made it halfway before growing tired and stopping.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't-" began Ferroseed, before Combee interrupted him.

"Wow! Great job, Ferroseed!" he exclaimed, showing his happiness, "This'll definitely do!"

"Oh, uh, glad I could be helpful." he said, confused.

"You still haven't told me why you're building this." Geodude crossed his arms, giving a small smirk.

"That's a secret, but don't worry," Combee smirked, "You guys will be the first to see it!"

"See what?" asked Geoudude, confused.

"Turn around for a sec." Combee told them. Ferroseed and Geodude looked at each other, but did as Combee said.

"Alright, now turn around." Combee said quickly afterward. As the two turned around, they noticed a top hat had appeared on Combee's head.

"Woah, where did that come from?" asked Geodude, impressed.

"Are you a magician?" asked Ferroseed, arching a brow.

"That's all I can do for now, but there will definitely bee more of that!"

And with that, he flew off abruptly, leaving Geodude and Ferroseed groaning at Combee's pun and wondering what he was up to.

 **Combee: "Comedy isn't my only talent, although I have to admit, it is my best. Ha, no, wait till you see what I finish building, and then I'll really blow their socks off!"**

 **000**

"Hmm, very intriguing." Slowpoke muttered, as he examined the leaves of a plant closely.

"Ooh, are you looking at the plants?" asked a voice behind him. Slowpoke was startled, and spun around to see where the oice was coming from. Azurill. His face relaxed.

"Yes, I am looking at these plants," Slowpoke replied with a warm smile, "But the way they work is simply extraordinary."

"Are you a scientist?" asked Azurill innocently.

"Something like that, although I like to keep my work private if possible." Slowpoke pat Azurill on the head, "Speaking of which, how did you find me? I thought I hid myself very well."

"I followed her." Azurill answered, her voice suddenly monotone.

"Who did you follow?" asked Slowpoke, concern growing in his mind.

"Espurr, she led me here." Azurill motioned towards a bush. It rustled and out came Espurr, her eyes glowing pink.

"Ah, it's you, the untalkative one-" began Slowpoke, trying to gain a hold of the situation, before Espurr blasted him with a bright light. When the ray faded, Slowpoke was sitting there, featureless.

"What is your command, master?" he asked.

 **Espurr: "..."**

 **000**

"Ah, finally! My masterpiece is complete!" exclaimed Smeargle, dusting eraser shavings off his work.

"Masterpiece? You've only been doing it for ten minutes." Kecleon corrected.

"Time doesn't matter," Smeargle retorted, "Plus, it looks fine to me."

"Well, it's probably better than anything I'll ever draw." joked Kecleon.

"By the way, I never got to ask you about the challenge." Smeargle said.

"What about it?" asked Kecleon.

"Well, since you can go invisible," reasoned Smeargle, "Couldn't you have just gone behind everyone and pushed them off?"

"It's not that easy," Kecleon explained, "I can only invisible for so long. Plus, whenever I'm invisible, I feel weak and tired, so all I can do is walk and maybe talk a biit before I have to be visible again."

"I guess that sounds reasonable," sighed Smeargle, "But wouldn't it be cool if you could fight like that?"

"Well, keep in mind that only a very small amount of Kecleon can turn invisble," noted Kecleon, "So there aren't really that many classes to teach you about that kind of thing."

"I guess you're right," conceded Smeargle, "And turning invisble sounds pretty cool by itself."

Kecleon couldn't help but smile in response.

 **Kecleon: "I've started talking to Smeargle after the challenge, and all in all, he doesn't seem that bad. A bit too excited for my taste, but at least he isn't teasing me about my invisibility. In fact, he seems to quite like it."**

 **000**

Inside Mienfoo's cabin, the members had all chosen their beds and gone to sleep. Now, as the sun came up, a certain figure burst through the door.

"Rise and shine, everyone!" exclaimed Mienfoo beaming.

"Ugh... I hate mornings." grunted Litwick, tired from staying up all night to write in his diary.

"Maybe I shouldn't have drank so much coffee before getting here." regretted Paras, shaking his head.

"What time is it?" asked Kecleon, yawning into his blanket.

"Almost 8:00," replied Mienfoo, "You guys sure get up late."

"Not all of us do can get up at five." Snivy rolled his eyes

"I actualy get up at 5:30, and I use my time to do some exercise." Mienfoo boasted.

"Anyways, why did you wake us up?" asked Starly, "I was expecting Spiritomb to do so."

"He saw me and asked me to do it." Mienfoo shrugged.

"And you listened?" groaned Snivy.

"He is the host, is he not?" asked Mienfoo. Snivy sighed and mumbled something about sarcasm.

"Did he tell us what to do now?" asked Sandshrew, trying to get back on track.

"Well, he said to meet up at the spinning wheel." replied Mienfoo.

"Great, another challenge." scoffed Snivy.

"We should go, maybe he'll give us a prize if we get there first." Kecleon said optimistically.

"Unlikely, but I guess we have to go at some point." Starly ruffled his feathers and got out of bed. The rest of Mienfoo's team slowly did the same, and they went out of the their cabins and headed to the spinning wheel.

 **000**

"Gotta hurry, gotta hurry!" exclaimed Zubat, flapping his wings madly, "Gotta tell team to-"

Wham! Zubat ran into the top of his team's cabin door. He drifted to the floor softly, and he lay dazed for a few minutes, but quickly got up and tried again. He had to try a few more times before he managed to barge through the door, and in doing so, woke up some of his teammates.

"Um, you do know to open the door, you pull." Squirtle said, pulling open the door, which promptly fell off.

"Oh... yeah..." Zubat inwardly cringed at his own mistakes, hoping the others would get over it. They didn't.

"Why did you wake us up?" asked Fennekin, obviously not a morning person.

"Uh, well, Spiritomb told me to tell you guys that we need to meet up at the spinning wheel." Zubat blurted out.

"Did he say why?" asked Zubat, too focused on her video game to look up.

"I think he said it was for the next challenge." Zubat replied.

"What? But we didn't even have breakfast yet!" exclaimed Gible angrily.

"Well, it couldn't hurt to check it out," reasoned Chikoreta, "Maybe we'll be having breakfast there?"

"In the outside? Yeah right." Gible rolled his eyes, but he sighed and got up out of bed. The rest soon quickly followed and the team went outside towards the spinning wheel.

 **Gible: "That last challenge was complete bull! Someone shot me from behind and I ended up in the drink. Whoever it was will pay, and I'm definitely gonna win whatever today's challenge is."**

 **000**

Spiritomb floated impatiently at Purrloin's team door. He had already told Purrloin to tell the others to wake up, but they still hadn't come out. Finally, when he had had enough, he blasted through the door.

"Alright, you guys better be up or-" began Spiritomb, before he stopped. He looked around and saw that no one was in the beds.

"Looking for someone?" asked a voice from behind him. He spun around and saw Purrloin leaning through the doorway.

"Wha- How did you-" Spiritomb was at a loss for words.

"How did I get out?" Purrloin finished his sentence for him, "Check the window."

Spiritomb looked towards the window and saw it was unlocked and open.

"Wait, did you get out from there?" asked Spiriotmb, confused, "But I thought I locked it."

"You did, and I unlocked it." Purrloin smirked.

"How- But- Oh Arceus..." Spiritomb sighed, "And what about the rest of the team?"

"I told them to get out half an hour ago," Purrloin purred, and added, "Although some were less willing than others."

"I'm not even gonna bother asking what that means," Spritomb rolled his eyes, "What I don't get is why? Why'd you even do this?"

"Nothing but a demonstration." .

"A demonstration of what?"

"A demonstration of who the boss is around here." Purrloin replied, and with that she strolled out the doorway and out the cabin, leaving Spiritomb to stare in silence.

 **Purrloin: "Spiritomb may be the host of this game, but I'm going to be the ruler."**

 **000**

"So why did you gather us here?" asked Solosis, reading a book. The rest of the Pokémon were also thinking similar thoughts.

"Well, besides the fact that we need to find the element for the next challenge," Spiritomb rambled, "I'm about to tell you where we're having breakfast."

"What's that?" asked Frillish. The others had long since ignored the amnesiac.

"Well? Where are we having it?" asked Snivy, tapping his foot. Some of the other Pokémon were growing impatient as well.

"You gotta spin the wheel first." Spiritomb smirked. Snivy rolled his eyes and stepped up to the wheel and gave it a little spin. it spun and spun until it landed on one element: Poison.

"Oh ho, there's an interesting one!" Spiritomb exclaimed.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Squirtle, kind of unsettled.

"What I forgot to tell you is that today's challenge will be based on food," Spiritomb explained, and then added, "More specifically, today's breakfast."

"Wait, you're gonna feed us poison?" asked Chimchar, taken aback. Other Pokémon also expressed their concerns.

"Relax, there's only a chance that you get poisoned." Spiritomb grinned evilly.

"Because that's much better." Snivy muttered.

"Anyways, follow me and we'll get right into the challenge!" Spiritomb exclaimed, as he floated away. The Pokémon looked at each other and proceeded cautiously.

 **Frillish: "If there's one thing I know, it's that poison and breakfast don't mix! Or, at least I don't think they do... Wait, what am I talking about again?"**

 **000**

"Welcome to the cafeteria!" Spiritomb exclaimed in front of a giant wooden building. He had led them through a little path through the forest and they ended up here. The cafeteria was made entirely of wood, wood walls, wood floor, even wood tables and benches. On each table was a little flag with each team captain's face and team name.

"So this is when his budget ran out." Snivy scoffed.

"Hey, at least it serves it's purpose." Chingling replied nonchalantly.

"Ahem," Spiritomb got their attention, "The challenge is simple. You will be given a choice of food to eat, some better tasting than others. However, and here's the twist, one of the meals will be poisoned."

"Poisoned how?" asked Sandshrew nervously.

"It's not anything serious," Spiritomb shrugged, "It could range from mild nausea to paralysis, nothing fatal."

Some of the Pokémon yelped in fear, while others just glared at Spiritomb.

"This is preposterous!" exclaimed Honedge angrily, "No knight should have to swallow putrid poison!"

"I agree with alliteration guy," Chimchar chimed in, "Do we have to do the challenge?"

"Yup! If you don't, your team is out." Spiritomb smirked. Chimchar sighed and seated himself at his team's table, followed by the others. Soon, each table was filled and the challenge began.

 **Gible: "Jokes on Spiritomb, with my mom's cooking, I practically ate poison everyday! This challenge will be a piece of cake."**

 **Combee: "Ha! Piece of cake, get it? Cause the challenge is to-"**

 **We get it.**

 **000**

"So uh, are we supposed to eat these?" asked Geodude, picking up his piece of paper. When all the Pokémon were seated, they were given a blank pice of paper and pencil.

"The challenge hasn't started, you don't need to poison yourself yet." Houndour smirked.

"Wow, real nice, mutt." Ferroseed rolled his eyes.

"Oh please, we both know you would've done the same thing." Houndour growled, now focused on Ferroseed rather than the pencil or paper.

"Really? Cause it seems you were the one who-"

"Guys, guys, please stop." Mareep smiled, causing the both of them to step down and glare at her.

"Hmph." they both scoffed in unison.

"Hey look! I think Spiritomb is about to explain the challenge." Mareep said, and the rest of the team looked towards Spiritomb.

"Now, if you hadn't guessed already, you're not supposed to eat those," Spiriotmb said, eyeing Geodude who looked embarrassed, "Instead, you'll use that paper to write down what meal you want!"

"And what are the meals?" asked Porygon.

"Look at the screen." Spiritomb replied nonchalantly.

"What scre-" began Porygon before he and the rest of the Pokémon heard a noise from the ceiling. They looked up to see a secret hatch being opened automatically, and a TV being lowered down.

"Ha! I knew that would impress you!" exclaimed Spiritomb, more to himself than to the others.

"I'm just surprised you had money," Snivy scoffed, "And put it all in this thing."

"Um, no offense, but it does look like it's gonna fall off." Porygon warned, as the screen was teetering around. Suddenly, a snap could be heard and the screen came crashing down onto the ground. The Pokémon near the screen quickly moved away, just as the screen smashed into the ground.

"And there it goes." Porygon mumbled, backing away slowly.

"Man, should've added more duck tape." Spiritomb grumbled, causing a major facepalm from Snivy.

"Anyways, let's see if this thing still works." Spiritomb teleported in a remote and pressed a red button. Suddenly, a moan escaped the TV and startled everyone.

"Wh-what was that?" asked Magnemite, looking unsteadily at the screen.

"Um, dudes, I think someone's under the screen." Mudkip said.

"Then we should help them!" exclaimed Mienfoo, pulling Geodude over to the screen. They slowly pulled the TV up, revealing a very flattened Honedge.

"Oooooooooh..." he moaned, and then fainted.

"A real knight in shining armour." Purrloin muttered, rolling her eyes.

"is he okay?" asked Fennekin worriedly.

"I think he broke his back." Geodude answered. Squirtle sighed and whispered to Geodude, who made an ooh-sound.

"Let me see him," Paras said, and then checked Honedge, "Hmm... He doesn't seem to be severely injured. He was very lucky it landed straight on him."

"And when did you become a doctor?" asked Snivy sarcastically.

"I was a pharmacist and M.D before joining this show." Paras replied, a gloomy look overtaking his face.

"What do you mean by 'was'?" asked Chimchar, curious, "Aren't you still a doctor?"

Paras didn't answer, but Spiritomb rushed in front of them before Chimchar could ask again.

"Alright, so Honedge is definitely not competiting," Spiritomb announced, "He gets immunity today. Geodude, carry him to your team cabin and make sure he doesn't die... We certainly don't want that."

Geodude obeyed and hefted the downed sword onto his back and he headed out the door, before promptly turning around.

"Um, how do I get back" asked Geodude, scratching his head. Porygon sighed and spoke up.

"I'll go with him, I remember the route." Porygon told Spiritomb, and with that, he head out the door followed closely by Geodude.

"You guys come back quickly for the challenge!" Spritomb yelled after the two, "So, now that that's out of the way, we can finally begin the challenge!"

Spiriotmb used his remote and pressed the power button, turning on the TV.

"Surprised it works." Snivy scoffed.

The TV went static for a bit before showing up as a white screen. Spiritomb hit it a few times and suddenly, three meals appeared on the screen:

1\. Stale Bread

2\. Bacon and Eggs

3\. Swampy Surprise

"There we go!" exclaimed Spiritomb triumphantly, "Just write the number of the meal you want and that's it! Good luck!"

"Hold on!" Solosis exclaimed, turning up from his book, "What if we don't have hands?"

"Then just ask someone on your team with hands to write it for you." Spiritomb replied, and with that, the challenge had begun.

 **000**

"Huh, I'm gonna have to learn how to do that." Chingling chuckled. Mienfoo's team was discussing the challenge.

"Alright team, any thoughts on the challenge?" asked Mienfoo excitedly.

"The first one sounds very filling." Snivy rolled his eyes

"Uh... Swampy Surprise?" asked Litwick, stopping from writing in his diary, "I don't like the sound of that."

"That must be the catch," muttered Ralts, "You can choose the one you want to eat, or you can choose the one that tastes horrible, but is probably not poisoned."

"But then couldn't the one that's bad could also poisoned?" countered Sandshrew.

"Hmm... you're right." Ralts replied, thinking through the situation.

"Whatever, it boils down to a luck challenge, right?" asked Combee smirking, "Then we'll just have to be very lucky!"

"Huh, I was prepared a lame pun there." Kecleon replied.

"You mean you were bread-y?" Combee grinned widely. The others rolled their eyes except for Minefoo, who obviously hadn't heard a pun before.

"So, getting back to the challenge," Fennekin brought the others back to attention, "Do we have any strategies for it?"

"We could all get the same meal," suggested Paras, "That way, we have a two out of three chance of getting one that's not poisoned."

"But then if we do get the bad one, our whole team would be poisoned." Kecleon argued. There didn't seem to be a clear answer to the problem, which stumped the team.

"Maybe we should just choose what we want." Chingling slipped in nonchalantly.

"Well, I guess that is the only plan for now." Ralts admitted. The others slowly agreed as well.

"Alright then, it's settled," Mienfoo announced to the team, "We'll just pick which meal we think is the right one."

"You don't have to make such a big deal out of it." Snivy muttered. However, the rest of the team was already writing down their choices, so Snivy sighed and picked up his pencil.

 **Snivy: "Okay, so I like trashing other's ideas and discussions, but that's only because they're dumb and unnecessary. Is something wrong about that?"**

"Can I get some help writing my choice?" asked Porygon. He and the rest of Zubat's team had decided that they would have a third of their team, so about four Pokémon, choose each choice. That way, even if some of them got poisoned, at least two thirds of the team would remain. Unfortunately, Porygon got stuck with the Swampy surprise, with the argument being that he was robot and supposedly couldn't taste anything. He had long since given up arguing how he wasn't a robot abnd accepted his fate, thus needing someone to help write the number 3 on his paper.

"Here, let me help," volunteered Sentret, as he wrote which meal Porygon told him, "Oh, you got stuck with the Swampy Surprise?"

Porygon nodded grimly. This breakfast would definitely not be a good one.

"Hey, don't look so down, it's probably not as bad as it seems," Sentret tried cheering him up, "Besides, I got it too, so we can throw up together."

This caused Sentret to chuckle and Poygon couldn't help but smile a bit. Eevee sat across from Sentret and simply rolled her eyes.

"So, what is it with you and your dad?" whispered Squirtle.

"What? What do you m-" began Eevee, before Squirtle interrupted her.

"You know what I mean. Whenever you get close to Sentret, I see you glaring at him or looking away," Squirtle said, "So what's up between you guys?"

"First of all, he's not my dad," Eevee seethed, letting that sink in, "And second of all, it's none of your business."

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" asked Squirtle, but Eevee turned away and didn't respond. Squirtle sighed and stared down at his paper.

 **Squirtle: "Great, when I want to help, I end up making more trouble than when it started. Sigh... I'm even worse here than on the farm."**

 **000**

"So, uh, do we have strategy or what?" asked Chimchar. The rest of Purrloin's team were already writing their choices down, and he had just picked up his pencil.

"It doesn't really matter what we pick, since it's the same chance for each of them to be poisoned," Solosis reasoned, 'Might as well choose the best option."

"But what if all of us choose the best one and it turns out it's poisoned?" argued Chimchar, "Wouldn't that mean our entire team is poisoned?"

"Then you can choose another meal." Purrloin stepped in, stopping the debate. Chimchar glanced at her and shuddered.

"Why did she have to be team captain?" he muttered.

"Wow Joltik, you chose the Swampy Surprise?" asked Deino, looking over at Joltik's paper.

"Of course! I'm always up for surprises doesn't matter what kind!" exclaimed Joltik, doing a backflip on the table to show off, "What'd you choose?"

"The same thing," answered Deino, smirking, "It sounds like the one most likely to be poisoned."

"Wait, I thought you weren't supposed to pick the one that was poisoned." Geodude overheard the conversation and joined in.

"I just wanna see how painful the poison is." Deino shrugged, with Joltik and Geodude giving him confused looks.

 **Deino: "Being both a masochist and sadist isn't an easy job. I can hurt myself pretty easily, but I don't wanna hurt others unless it's allowed. Otherwise, I might get targeted pretty quick. I gotta say though, the looks on their faces are hilarious!"**

 **000**

"Okay, everyone got their choices?" asked Spiritomb, moving around the different tables. His question was answered by the nodding heads and affirmative responses of the Pokémon.

"Alrighty then, let the first round... begin!" Spiritomb glowed bright purple, as each Pokémon's meal choice was teleported straight in front of them.

"Woah!" Joltik exclaimed, wondering how Spiritomb had done it.

"This... is what I expected." Porygon sighed, as his Swampy Surprise was teleported to him. It was a soup of some kind, although it reeked and was a dark green.

"Bottoms up, I guess." Sentret said, not as enthusiastically.

"You got bacon and eggs?" asked Kecleon, now regretting his choice of stale bread.

"Hey, if I'm gonna go out, I might as well make it comfortable." Combee reasoned, biting into his bacon. Slowly, one by the one, the other Pokémon began eating their meals, waiting for the poison that may or may not come.

All of a sudden, a few minutes after everyone was done eating, some Pokémon dropped down either onto the table or down on the ground.

"What the- What happened to them?" asked Squirtle, horrified of the seemingly dead bodies.

"Anyone who chose stale bread as their choice has now fallen asleep," Spiritomb smirked, "More specifically, from Zubat's team: Zubat, Beldum, Vulpix, and Murkrow. From Minefoo's team: Paras, Ralts, Sandshrew, Azurill, Pumpkaboo, Starly, and Kecleon. And finally, from Purrloin's team: Frillish, Mudkip, Purrloin, and Geodude."

"So, to recap," Spiriotmb did some calculating, "Nine people still left from Something Cool and The Darkclaw Brotherhood, while only six left for Team Undefeatable! How ironic."

"I kinda wish I was them now." Sentret said, pointing to the fallen Pokemon, his face turning green and his stomach queasy.

"Too bad!" exclaimed Spiritomb, directly in Sentret's face, "Now, onto round two!"

"There's more?" asked Snivy incredulously.

"Yup! Two more rounds, to be exact," Spiritomb explained, "Whichever team has the least Pokémon remaining loses!"

"So what are the drinks?" asked Chikoreta.

"Look to the screen." said Spiritomb with a smirk, motioning towards the TV. The Pokémon looked and saw a new list of choices:

1\. Orange Juice

2\. Berry Blast

3\. Murky Water

4\. Ice

"Wait, hold up. Ice?!" asked Chimchar in disbelief.

"Yeah, what about it?" Spiritomb replied nonchalantly.

"I can't drink that!" Chimchar exclaimed, "I'm a fire type, I'll die!"

"Well, then just don't choose it and hope it's poisoned," Spiritomb smirked, "Which reminds me, this time, two of the drinks are poisoned. Good luck!"

 **000**

"That's a two in four chance that we're gonna be poisoned," calculated Chimchar, "It's practically a coin flip!"

"Then let's just hope we choose the right ones." Mareep cheered optimistically.

"Hmph, bet you're gonna choose the poisoned one." Houndour scoffed.

"Yeah right, we both know you're gonna choose the wrong one." Ferroseed countered.

"Can you two please stop bickering?" asked Solosis annoyed, "It's disturbing my train of thought."

"Shut it, nerd." the both of them said in unison.

"Wow, you two have a lot in commom." Mareep giggled. Ferroseed and Houndour glared at her, but they stopped themselves before doing anything else.

Slowpoke was staring directly at his paper, before he blinked and regained consciousness.

"Wha- Where, where am I?" asked Slowpoke, holding his head drowsily.

"We're doing the challenge of course!" exclaimed Mareep cheerfully, "Right now, we're choosing which drinks we want."

Slowpoke was about to ask what she meant when he stopped himself. He couldn't reveal his intellect to just anyone quite yet.

"Thank you." he said stupidly, focusing back on his finger. He tapped his pencil repeatedly against the paper.

"What happened at the forest?" he whispered to himself, his memory a blur.

 **Slowpoke: "I remember... Azurill, and Espurr and then... a bright light?"**

 **000**

"Well, there goes our team captain." Eevee sighed, rolling her eyes. Zubat had been encouraging them that they would be okay just a few minutes ago. It had actually helped some of his team members, even though he was facing the wrong way most of the time. Sadly, he and some of the others, dropped to the floor, sound asleep.

"They look almost peaceful." Porygon muttered grimly.

"T-this isn't gonna go well." Magnemite mumbled nervously.

"Hey, look on the bright side, it's what Zubat would want," Smeargle tried eoncouraging the others, "Besides, we're still tied for the most Pokémon left!"

"Hmph, Zubat didn't even help," grumbled Gible, "He was useless and deserved to get out."

"Hey, don't be so mean." Chikoreta chided, quite caring for Zubat. Gible simply scoffed and turned back to his paper.

"Anyways, why don't we talk about strategy?" asked Porygon, trying to get everyone back on track.

"We have one?" joked Sentret, not really helping the situation. Porygon ingnored him and continued.

"So, if we're following the same plan, a fourth to each choice?" Porygon suggested. Hopefully this time, they would let him get one of the better choices.

"But that would mean only half of us will get past this round." argued Squirtle. He was still thinking about his little conversation with Eevee, and occasionally glanced in her direction.

"Well, it is the best plan we have." Sentret conceded. His stomach was still fighting whatever was in that Swampy Surprise, and he obviously wanted to just get things over quickly.

"More like the only plan," Gible grunted, "Whatever, I'm picking OJ and you can't tell me otherwise."

"Alright then," Smeargle said, thinking fast, "I'll pick Berry Blast."

And just like that, the team organized themselves again to have a fourth choose each choice. Beldum simply sighed as the team coordinated their strategy.

 **Beldum: "This is very boring. The plan isn't even good, and yet they're still following it. I hate to say it, but I preferred it when I was talking to Deino. At least he was somewhat of a surprise."**

 **000**

"Alright team, we might have lost a lot of people in the first round, but that doesn't mean we've lost this!" exclaimed Mienfoo, encouraging the others.

"We've got this." agreed Chingling nonchalantly.

"Wow, I can't believe I survived that." Combee said, and then added with a smirk, "I find it really hard to stomach! Ha, get it?"

"Now I wish I chose the poisoned one." groaned Snivy, rolling his eyes. Fennekin however, found it quite hilarious.

"Wow, you are very funny," she complimented, "Where did you learn how to do it?"

"Self-taught, baby." Combee jokingly winked at her. Snivy looked at Fennekin curiously. He noticed how she had eaten her food in a very mannerly fashion, almost as if she was a princess or something.

"Right, like royalty would want to join this crummy show." Snivy scoffed, writing down his number onto the paper. He didn't really care whether they won the challenge, just so that it would end soon.

"Oh crud, got a stain in my diary." grumbled Litwick, trying to rub the stain off, but was unsuccessful.

"What do you even write in that thing anyways?" Combee tried flying over to look, but Litwick shooed him off.

"Just my day-to-day experiences," Litwick shrugged, "But I also write other stuff."

"Other stuff? What does that mean?" asked Fennekin, now curious.

"Um, none of your business." Litwick blushed, closing his diary, causing the others to be even more curious. He hid it under the table and wrote his choice on the paper quickly.

 **Litwick: "Shoot, now they're going to try and read my diary. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Sigh... I'll have to hide it somewhere now."**

 **000**

"Alright, everybody done?" asked Spiritomb, checking each table, "Good, here are your drinks for breakfast!"

The pencils and papers were teleported again for the drinks ordered by each Pokémon. They looked unsteadily at their drinks, afraid of what wiould happen to them if they got the poisoned one. Slowly, one by one, they each drank their individual drinks, and waited to see whether or not they were poisoned. Suddenly, many of the Pokémon began twitching, and then they all froze up like a statue, falling over the tables. Their eyes were still open when they fell, scaring the remaining contestants.

"Ahhhh!" Magnemite screamed, his eyes locked with the frozen Porygon's.

"That was a shock," Combee breathed hard, "Quite literally for them! Ha, get i-"

"Yes it was, and it certainly reduced our numbers," Spiritomb shut Combee's mouth, "Anyone who chose either the Berry Blast or the Murky Water were frozen in place. This time, those who got out from Zubat's team: Squirtle, Porygon, Eevee, and Espurr. For Mienfoo's team: Mienfoo, Chingling, and Litwick. Finally, from Purrloin's team... Wow, everyone got poisoned except for Chimchar and Houndour. Five people remain from Zubat's team, three from Mienfoo's, and two from Purrloin's. That means there's only ten Pokémon remaining!"

"Uh..." Chimchar simply looked around him, taking in the fact that he was one of the last two remaining on his team.

"Ha! Take that, you stupid plant!" exclaimed Houndour, as he kicked the frozen Ferroseed. Suddenly, he clutched his stomach in pain, and rolled down to the floor.

"Woah, wait! What's happening to him?" asked Chimchar, rushing to his teammate's side. Houndour groaned in pain, as he started growing delirious.

"Huh, that's weird," Spiritomb noted, "I thought he took the ice."

"Wait, what?" asked Chimchar, almost doubling over, "You took the ice even though you're a fire type?"

Houndour was breathing heavily, unable to reply.

"Well, suffice to say, he's out," Spiritomb announced, and then adding with a smirk, "Which means you're the last one left on your team!"

"What?" Chimchar mumbled, a lump growing inside his throat. He definitely didn't like being the last one left. He felt so... alone.

 **Chimchar: "I always hated being by myself. I guess it's the silence, it really get to me."**

 **Gible: "Ha! Purrloin's team is done for. Now all I need to do is pass this stupid challenge and I'll show everyone who's the best around here!"**

 **000**

"Are we done yet?" asked Snivy impatiently.

"Don't worry, this is the final round," Spiritomb told them, "However, this time, we're doing desserts. There will be five choices, but only one of them will not be poisoned. Here they are!"

And with that, Spiritomb hit a button on his remote, and a new set of choices appeared on the TV screen:

1\. Oranberry Shortcake

2\. Sitrus Pie

3\. A Cracker

4\. Chocolate Ice Cream

5\. Grass Sundae

"Seriously, number three?" scoffed Snivy, "You didn't even try there."

"Hey, some people just like a cracker for dessert." Spiritomb tried sounding serious, but couldn't contain his smirk.

"A Grass Sundae?" Fennekin said, disgusted, "That doesn't sound very nice."

"Well, then choose something else." Snivy replied. Fennekin glanced at him and saw him smirk, but for a second there, she thought she saw him actually smiling, but the moment faded away.

"So this is it, huh?" Sentret sighed, "Wish Eevee could see me now."

"Well, technically, she can." Gible replied, smirking, as he motioned towards Eevee's frozen figure. Sentret just shuddered and quickly wrote down his choice, as did the rest of his team.

"So what do we do now?" asked Sentret, his voice quivering.

"Now, we just sit and pray." Smeargle said confidently, but on the inside, he was terrified, as well as frustrated.

 **Smeargle: "A fifth of a chance that I choose the right one? Just my luck none of these challenges have anything to do with art..."**

 **000**

"So... everyone's made their final choices?" asked Spiritomb, stressing the question, "This is the final round, so pick wisely."

'It's luck-based," scoffed Snivy, "There's no skill involved at all."

"Hey, don't be so rude," Fennekin whispered, angry yet somehow still looking cute, "I think this challenge is fun."

"Well, that's one way to put it." Combee laughed nervously.

"I've never had to take risks in my life," Fennekin said solemnly, "So this is kind of a new experience for me."

Snivy arched a brow but didn't say anything.

"I'm gonna do it," Chimchar whispered, reassuring himself, "I'm gonna show everyone I can do this."

"Alright, I see everyone's written their choices," Spiritomb smirked, "And here are your desserts! Bon appetite!"

The pencils and papers were again replaced by the specific desserts that each Pokémon took. They looked at each other nervously, wondering who would take the first bite.

"I'll go first." Fennekin mumbled, her paw wavering over the Oranberry Shortcake that she chose. She used a fork to cut a bit of the cake off, and, after staring at it for a bit, put in in her mouth. Snivy and Combee looked to see if anything happened to her, but nothing happened. Sighing, Snivy picked up his Sitrus Pie and ate a slice. Soon, all the Pokémon had eaten their choices, and awaited their fates.

All of a sudden, most of the Pokémon felt as if their stomach were ready to explode. Thankfully, Spiritomb had teleported in some trash cans just for this round. The poisoned Pokémon gathered round the trash cans, and vomited... a lot. Afterwards, they turned to face Spiritomb, either with an angry or dazed look on their eyes, and soon just collapsed.

"Let's see who's left standing," Spiritomb smirked, surveying the tables for the remaining Pokémon, "Wow, surprisingly Zubat's team, even though they had five Pokémon before, now has zero! Meanwhile, Fennekin and Combee pass from Mienfoo's team. Finally, and miraculously, Chimchar's still alive for Purrloin's team."

"Wait, so does that mean we-" began Combee, before Fennekin interrupted him.

"We won!" she exclaimed happily, flashing Combee the widest smile she had made since she got here. Combee couldn't help but smile and giggle in response.

"Yup, turns out Team Undefeatable was undefeatable in this challenge," Spiritomb gave them a genuine smile, "You guys will get a prize after this."

Fennekin and Combee looked at each other and then did a paw and wing high five.

 **Fennekin: "Wow, I won something, without the help of anyone! Ha, my father would've never allowed me to join in on such reckless behavior at the royal castl- Oh... Well, forget it, I'm done hiding as a princess. This competition has given me a new look on life!"**

 **000**

"Woah, I'm still here," Chimchar stood, shocked that he had passed, "I... I did it. I really did it! Yes! Take that, haters! Who's ballin' now? This guy! Alrig-"

"Sorry to interrupt, Chimchar, but since you were the last one remaining on your team," Spiritomb smirked, "you get a reward as well."

"Really?" Chimchar's eyes shone, "What is it?"

"You get to drag all your teammates to your team cabin!" exclaimed Spiriotmb, laughing evilly. The smile on Chimchar's face dropped, replaced with a sigh.

"Should've seen that one coming." Chimchar groaned, as he began lugging his fellow teammates out the door and towards the cabin. Even so, he couldn't shrug the feeling of victory and smiled the whole way through.

 **Chimchar: "Alright, so I may not have won the challenge, but I didn't lose it either, and tat's all that matters. Little steps, Chimchar, and you'll be bringing home the gold in no time! Heh, maybe even literally!"**

 **000**

"Hey, um, just curious," Fennekin whispered to Spiritomb, "What will happen to Zubat's team since they lost?"

"Oh, they'll be joining me in a special event tonight," Spiritomb grinned evilly, "Don't worry, it doesn't involve you... and no one's gonna die."

"That's... reassuring." Fennekin said, a puzzled expression on her face. She sighed, knowing she wouldn't be getting any more from the Spiritomb, and continued her way back to her team's cabin.

"Time," Spiritomb whispered to himself, smirking, "For the elimination."

 **000**

"Wha- Ahhh!" screamed Zubat, waking up suddenly, "Where, where am I?"

Zubat tried sensing any movement around him to see if he could determine where he was, but all he could hear was... the ruffing of a bed.

"Wait, am I at the cabin?" he asked, thoroughly confused.

"Looks like he's up." said a masculine voice from afar. Zubat flinched at the sound, but quickly tried hearing who it was.

"Uh, w-who's there?" he asked nervously. He felt around him, and it seemed like he was in a bed, probably his own.

"Can't you see me? I'm right in front of you." answered the voice. Zubat started panicking.

"Um, well, I, uh..." he squirmed. He was hoping this was just a nightmare, and that it would end soon.

"Relax, Zubat," sounded another voice, this one a female, "We know you're blind." The words made Zubat double over.

"Wait, wha- How did you know?" asked Zubat, flustered.

"Well, the fact that you haven't noticed me waving my hand in front of your face, is a pretty good indication." the first voice jokingly said. Zubat was even more confused now, and a bit scared.

"Don't worry, Zubat, it's just me and Porygon," the second voice answered, and then quickly added, "Oh, I mean, I'm Chikoreta."

"We haven't told anyone else, so you can calm down." Porygon said. This definitely made Zubat calm down, but he still had some doubts.

"How did you know?" he asked, surprised. He was sure that he covered his blindness quite well.

"Well, many Zubats in the world have been known to be born blind," Porygon explained, "But once I checked your eyes, I knew for certain."

"What? What's wrong with my eyes?" asked Zubat curiously.

"They're completely white," continued Porygon, "This could mean corneal infection or ulcerations, leading to blindness. You were probably treated when you were young, but I guess your sight never came back."

"Wow, you sure know a lot," Chikoreta smiled widely, "Almost like you're a-"

"Don't say it." groaned Porygon. Chikoreta laughed and apologized, to which Porygon gave a smiling sigh. All of this Zubat was oblivious to.

"Wait, so why didn't you guys tell anyone else?" asked Zubat, still a bit unsure.

"I told Chikoreta because she seemed the most likely to help you." Porygon answered.

"But why didn't you just keep it to yourself?"

"I'm not the best at helping people," Porygon sighed, "I'm good with information and computers, but that's about it. People sometimes say I'm... robotic."

"Oh," Zubat replied, realizing how awkward this must have been, "So, um, where am I?"

"In the team cabin," Chikoreta responded, glad he changed the subject, "We were brought here after the challenge, and those who woke up faster helped the others."

"So, did we win?" asked Zubat, trying for a smile. Chikoreta and Porygon looked at each other, before Porygon spoke up.

"No," Porygon looked down grimly, "And now we have to vote someone off our team."

"What?" asked Zubat incredulously.

"That's also another reason I told you," Porygon said, "We want to eliminate someone specifically."

"Who?"

"Gible," Chikoreta said solemnly, "I mean, he did well in the challenge, but he's kind of mean."

"Kind of is an understatement," Porygon rolled his eyes, "Anyways, will you vote him with us? We already have some others, and another vote wouldn't hurt."

"Uh... sure," Zubat answered, still trying to process what happened, "Just promise me one thing, Please don't tell anyone I'm blind."

"Cross my heart." Chikoreta smiled warmly.

"Okay," Zubat breathed out, relieved, "Okay, I'll vote Gible."

"Great," Porygon said, trying to sound enthusiastic, but coming off more as angry, "Um, well, I guess I'll see you later."

"Yeah, goodbye, team captain!" Chikoreta exclaimed, leading herself and Porygon out the door. Zubat simply sat in his bed, thinking.

 **Zubat: "That was... that was, not what I was expecting. I guess I can trust Porygon and Chikoreta with my secret. I mean, who knows? Maybe they'll be good friends... If only..."**

 **Chikoreta: "I feel bad for Zubat. Being blind must be terrible, and joining this competition was very, very brave of him. I respect him."**

 **Porygon: "To be honest, I wasn't exactly trying to help Zubat, Chikoreta just caught me looking into his eyes. Yeah... that wasn't fun to explain. Hmm, I guess this isn't entirely bad. Maybe us three can become a good alliance?"**

 **000**

"Alright, team Something Cool!" Spiritomb exclaimed, "If your teammates haven't already explained to you, we are having an elimination right now! Vote one someone you don't want on your team, and they will be kicked off this island. Figuratively, of course... probably."

"Guess that's us." Squirtle sighed, getting off his bed. The team was sitting anxiously in their cabin, so when Spiritomb announced it was time, they left their cabin quickly to see what would happen. The only Pokémon who didn't seem worried at all was Murkrow, who instead had a mysterious smile on his face.

They saw Spiritomb standing near the wheel, smirking as usual. However, they could see something was definitely different. Behind the wheel, where there used to be empty grasslands, was now thirteen stones with a campfire in the middle.

"Is this?" asked Poyrgon, motioning towards the campfire.

"Yup, this is where eliminations will be happening," Spiritomb explained, "To vote someone, simply go into one of the confessional booths around the island. There will be papers and a pencil, which you will use to write the name of the Pokémon you want eliminated. Once you're done, come back here and wait for further instructions. Simple as that. Pokémon with the most votes gets eliminated."

The team members looked at each other, trying to see what everyone was thinking, but nobody said anything. Slowly, each of them went to the many confessional booths and cast their votes.

 **Spiritomb: "Also, before I forget, here's where your advantage comes in, captains! Right now, it'll only apply to you, Zubat, but each of your votes will count as two, instead of just one. May not seem like a big difference now, but when the numbers get fewer, it could be the difference between staying in or getting out. Happy voting!"**

 **Porygon: "Gible is definitely the prime candidate for voting. He's rude, loud, and all around annoying, the perfect combination for an early elimination"**

 **Eevee: "It may be impossible now, but Sentret will be eliminated. Preferably by my hands."**

 **Zubat: "Um, I can't really see what I'm writing, so can I just say I vote Gible? Hello?"**

 **Espurr: "..."**

 **000**

"Alright, and it looks like all the votes were cast!" exclaimed Spiritomb, "Now, I will announce who is safe, and who is eliminated."

The Pokémon were waiting impatiently, sitting on the rocks. Spiritomb floated to the centre and teleported in a plate full of wooden cubes.

"If you get a block, you're safe." Spiritomb smirked, also teleporting in a list, "For starters, those with no votes; Squirtle, Vulpix, Chikoreta, and Magnemite."

Spiritomb threw a block at each of the Pokémon, hitting Magnemite directly in the face.

"Next up, those with at least one vote: "Beldum, Smeargle, Zubat, Eevee, and Sentret."

The five got their blocks and sighed with relief. This just left Porygon, Murkrow, Gible, and Espurr who still had votes. Murkrow somehow was able to smile through this, while Espurr hadn't moved at all. Gible grumbled under his breath, and Porygon started feeling some doubt in his brain.

"They couldn't all have voted me, could they?" he asked himself.

"Also safe are Murkrow and Espurr." Spiritomb announced, throwing the blocks to their respective owners. The block flew near Espurr's face, but she didn't even flinch. Instead, it was like she was focused on something else, afar off. Porygon's face filled with fear, as he began doubting himself and his teammates. Gible simply glared at Spiriotmb, awaiting the inevitable elimination.

"Down to the final two, it seems," Spiritomb smirked, waiting a few seconds before continuing, "Gible, you've been rude to pretty much everyone since you came to this island. No surprise you're here."

"Yeah, yeah, let's see how you like it when I punch your face in." he threatened.

"Violent too. Porygon," Spiritomb continued, arching a brow, "I... actually don't know why you're here, but the Pokémon who is voted off is...

...

...

...

...

...Porygon."

"What?" Porygon asked incredulously. Why had people voted him instead of Gible. Even Gible seemed a bit surprised by the outcome, but he quickly recovered.

"So long, mecha-nerd." Gible smirked, laughing aloud.

"The vote was unanimous, actually." added Spiritomb.

"What?!" Zubat doubled over, "I didn't vote for him!"

"Yeah, why would I vote myself off?" asked Porygon, extremely confused. Others backed him up, also claiming not voting for him.

"Who knows, but votes are votes," Spiritomb silenced the team, "Porygon is eliminated, and that's final."

Zubat felt anger surging through his body, but he kept it in. Chikoreta simply looked at Porygon with a face of surprise and somberness. Porygon sighed and turned back to Spiritomb.

"Well, how am I gonna get eliminated?" asked Porygon, "Teleported to the middle of nowhere?"

"Actually, we can do better." Spiritomb smirked.

 **000**

"Why is this not a surprise?" sighed Porygon, as he was shoved into the cannon. Spiritomb had brought them to a specific part of the coastline, where a cannon had been prepped just for this occasion.

"Any last words?" Spiritomb asked, lighting a match, about to strike the fuse.

"Well, all I needed to say, I've said in my confessional." Porygon replied. Spiritomb sighed, and struck the fuse with the lit match.

"Fire in the hole!" Spiritomb yelled, just as the cannon blasted, and Porygon was sent flying across the horizon.

"Y-you're sure this is safe?" asked Magnemite nervously.

"Definitely, I've tested it multiple times." Spiritomb replied, not very reassuring at all, "Anyways, that's all for tonight. Now that you know what might happen if you lose, try a little harder, eh?"

"I'm too tired to think of a witty response." Smeargle groaned, turning away back to the cabin. The others followed his example and one by one, headed to their team's cabin. Chikoreta and Zubat stayed for a while longer, before they too left the scene.

"Very interesting." Murkrow commented as he went back. He took a quick glance at the emotionless Espurr, whose eyes were glowing a bright purple.

"Looks like we're not the only competition."

 **000**

 **Ooh, very interesting indeed. What is going on with Murkrow, Starly, and Purrloin? What did Espurr do to Slowpoke and Azurill, and why was Porygon eliminated instead of Gible? Could the two be connected, or is it someone else entirely different? Find out next time, on- Ha, no, just kidding.**

 **Just to let you know, not all challenges will be in the different type sections. Some, like this one, will be based on the type itself.**

 **In other news, I think I gave reasonable screen time to most of the Pokémon who didn't get much last time. However, obviously, I couldn't fit all of them in. I'll try again next chapter, but if your favourite Pokémon doesn't get a moment next chapter, I'm sorry, I'll try cycling through everyone.**

 **Also, many sort of friendships/alliances are created, although not set in stone. I'll try to expand them a bit next chapter, but I want it to be a gradual thing, not rushed.**

 **Anyways, thank you for your reviews on my first chapter, I will try to implement them if possible. So please, send in your reviews, I will read them and try to fit my story to you guys' liking.**

 **That's all for now, but there will definitely more soon.**

 **Thank you for reading! :D**

 **BlandToucan**


	3. Ch 3- 3spooky5me

**Happy Hallowe- Oh wait, that was days ago... Uh... See you next year!**

 **Kidding, but I'll probably continue writing random stuff until I actually have something important to say here. (Which will probably never happen, ha ha ha)**

 **On another note, I will not be probably not be able to post as fast as I am now, but it all depends on what's happening in my life, mainly if school's going to be a pain in the butt or not.**

 **Also, I want to thank everyone who has put their time into reading and reviewing my story, you guys are the best! :D**

 **000**

Zubat couldn't get over it. Why Porygon? Of all the people anyone could vote for, they voted him? No, it couldn't be possible. that was what he told himself, but the votes couldn't be wrong, could they?

"Well, I guess you got what you wanted," Zubat mumbled angrily, "Now nobody knows about your secret."

Well, except for Chikoreta, but he didn't think she would tell anyone. He tried finding her after the elimination, but she was a quick mover, and by the time he stumbled back into the cabin, he was too tired to try and find her. Now, as morning rolled along, he flapped his way out of bed, and soar through the skies.

"There's one benefit," he joked, sighing into the morning air, "At least in the sky, there's nothing to worry abou-"

Suddenly, he slammed into something. Hard. Zubat fluttered dizzily, before he began dropping down through the air. He fell for a moderate amount of time, before landing flat on the ground. He groaned audibly as he picked himself off the ground. He flapped his wings to dust them off, and tried picking up any noises.

"Hey Zubat, are you okay?" asked a voice from behind him. He let out a yelp and turned around. He tried determining the voice, but he couldn't make out who it was.

"It's me, Chikoreta," the voice said, Zubat sighing in relief, "Sorry if I scared you."

"It's fine, I'm used to it," Zubat rushed, obviously still a little shaky, "So, uh, what's up?"

"You crashed into a tree, that's what's up!" she exclaimed, somewhat angrily, "Why were you flying so low?"

"I was?" asked Zubat, surprised, "Well, I guess I was just a little distracted."

"Distracted? By what?" asked Chikoreta.

"Well," Zubat mumbled through gritted teeth, "You know..."

"Porygon? Yeah, I'm still not over it either," Chikoreta finished for him, "But you shouldn't let it get to you."

"I know, I know, it's just that," Zubat sighed audibly, "I just want to know how it happened. I mean, I'm certain I didn't vote for him, yet..."

"Me too, but what's done is done. We can't let it show," Chikoreta chided, giving Zubat a warm smile, "Besides, you're our team captain! We rely on you, and if you don't do your job, then we can't do ours."

"Well, I guess," Zubat replied guiltily, completely forgetting his duty, "I'll try my best."

"Good." Chikoreta said, and with that, Zubat could hear her walking away.

"Thanks Chikoreta..." he mumbled to himself. He continued floated there, rethinking the events of last night.

 **Zubat: "Chikoreta's right, if I keep moping around, it's not gonna do any good for my team. I should keep this inside for now and rethink what happened if I have the time. Who knows, maybe I'll find something out by staying low-key... It's what Porygon would've done..."**

 **000**

"Sad to see you've survived the elimination." Purrloin sighed, smirking at the approaching Murkrow. The three of them had arrived at their usual hiding spot to discuss important matters.

"It was a stroke of luck, actually," Murkrow replied, "I managed to find a worthy opponent."

"Wait, wha- So, you found someone who's as powerful as you?" asked Starly, awestruck.

"I'm not sure, but they definitely found a way to pamper with the system." Murkrow replied, not answering directly.

"Who is it?" asked Purrlion, curious.

"I won't spoil it," Murkrow smirked, beginning to leave, "You can find out for yourselves."

"Hey, wait!" exclaimed Purrloin, but Murkrow had already taken off. She rolled her eyes and bid Starly farewell, leaving the bird alone. He couldn't help but laugh at what happened.

 **Starly: "It would be just like Murkrow to keep valuable info from us. This isn't the first time he's done this, and it certainly won't be the last. Now to prove my worth, let's find out who this Pokémon is."**

 **Murkrow: "Espurr... I feel like I remember her from somewhere, but my mind is blank. Oh well, I'll remember when we meet again."**

 **000**

"Ouch... my back still hurts from yesterday's challenge." groaned Chimchar, rubbing his aching back. He, Mudkip, and Squirtle were down by the coast this time, but instead of watching Mudkip surf, they were just talking.

"Dude, you need to stretch more," Mudkip joked, "You sound like an old man."

"Ha ha, you try carrying a few bodies around and we'll see how you like it." snapped Chimchar, smirking. Squirtle was just listening to the both of them with a peaceful smile.

"So, how did the elimination go?" asked Chimchar, curious, "Obviously, you weren't the one."

"No, it was Porygon," Squirtle answered, recounting the event, "Which was pretty surprising. I mean, he's kinda emotionless, but I thought he was pretty cool."

"Maybe the others didn't like him." suggested Mudkip.

"Maybe so, but I feel like there was something weird behind that elimination." Squirtle said, a look of concentration on his face.

"Well, whatever the case, that's not the reason I asked you guys to come here." Chimchar piped up.

"I thought the reason was so we could talk casually." Squirtle smiled.

"Or ride some waves?" asked Mudkip hopefully.

"That sounds fun." Squirtle began moving, but Chimchar stopped him.

"No no, I have an actual reason," Chimchar announced, pausing for dramatic effect before continuing, "I want to form an alliance."

There was a moment of silence before Squirtle spoke up.

"Okay, sure." he shrugged nonchalantly.

"Wait, what?" Chimchar doubled over, "You're just gonna agree so easily?"

"Well, we already, like, know each other pretty well," Mudkip agreed with Squirtle, "We were already practically an alliance."

"Well, there goes my big speech." sighed Chimchar, and the three of them laughed wholeheartedly.

"Hey, here's something we can talk about," Chimchar finally said, "How about the girls?"

"What about 'em?" sked Mudkip.

"Got a girl in mind?" asked Chimchar, a smile crossing his face.

"It's the second day, you can't just choose someone willy-nilly," Squirtle complained, before quietly adding, "Although if I had to choose, Chikoreta looks pretty nice."

"Oh come on, that's so boring," Chimchar rolled his eyes, "No wonder you put on that stupid smile when you're around her."

"Hardy har, what's your pick then?" asked Squirtle, nudging Chimchar.

"I... don't really have anyone in mind," shrugged Chimchar, "I mean, all of them good and all, but I don't really have a top pick."

"Then why'd you ask?" asked Mudkip, joining in.

"So I could get some ideas from you guys." Chimchar responded.

"Well, how about Fennekin?" suggested Squirtle, "She seems nice."

"Fennekin?" asked Chimchar incredulously, "She's practically a princess, she's way out of my league."

"If you say so," Squirtle sighed, "Just keep looking, you'll find someone."

"Hopefully." Chimchar muttered grimly.

 **Chimchar: "Alright, I have an alliance, so that's good... Sigh, I guess what Squirtle said to be was true. Maybe I should find a girl. Probably soon, or else I might eliminated."**

 **000**

"Let's see, ah! There we go." Paras was searching for herbs on the island, and happened upon some nearby. He used his pincerss to clip some off, crushed them, and put them on his mushrooms.

"Ahhhh, that felt better." Paras let out a breath of relief.

"Oh, hey Paras! Whatcha doing?" asked a voice from behind him. Paras was startled and turned around to see Geodude there, carrying some wood planks.

"Hello Geodude," Paras waved a pincer, "I'm just picking some herbs in the morning. You?"

"Helping Combee with a project of his," Geodude yawned, "That guy sure has a lot of puns."

"Ah yes, the funny fellow," Paras vaguely remembered, "I'm about done here. Do you need any help?"

"Say... you're a doctor, right?" asked Geodude.

"Well, I was a pharmacist back wh-" began Paras, before Geodude grabbed one of his pincers.

"Close enough! Come on, we could use your help!" Geodude exclaimed, flailing Paras around like a piñata.

"I will help! I will help! Just please, let go of me." Paras said, weakly. Geodude quickly dropped him and apologized, and the two began making their way to Combee.

 **000**

"This... is certainly unexpected." Paras noted. He and Geodude walked into Combee ordering Ferroseed around what seemed like a wooden platform. Ferroseed was grumbling and creating vines around the wood planks, and Combee was fluttering around, occasionally exclaiming some motivation, or just a bad pun.

"Oh hey," Combee noticed the two, "Geodude is back, and he has Paras?"

"I thought he could help." Geodude smiled and patted Paras on the back.

"I don't know, he doesn't seem like the strong type," Combee judged, and then slyly added, "I think you're bark-ing up the wrong tree!"

"Ugh, terrible." Ferroseed muttered.

"No, not carrying the planks, I mean he could tell us if the thing's good or not." Geodude replied.

"Oh right." Combee remembered. Ferroseed rolled his eyes.

"Well, Paras, you're an architect, right?" asked Combee hopefully.

"No, I'm a-"

"Great, can you tell us what you think?" asked Combee, flying around their incomplete building. Paras seemed like he was about to say something, but sighed and looked at their building. After a few moments, Combee broke the tension.

"So, what do you think?" asked Combee, anxious for Paras' response.

"Well, I was trying to tell you that I'm no architect," began Paras, "But it looks fine."

"Yes!" exclaimed Combee, proud of his accomplishment.

"But please tell me, what are you guys building?" Paras asked.

"He won't tell us," Geodude answered, "Says it's a secret or something."

"It is!" Combee exclaimed, "Just trust me, it'll be better kept as a surprise."

"Not the best way to keep us motivated." Ferroseed said sarcastically.

"Well, if I'm not needed here anymore, I'll be going," Paras began heading away, "I wish you good luck with what you are doing."

"Thanks! You too!" Combee yelled after him. As Paras was walking through the forest back to his team's cabin, he couldn't help but feel at peace.

"Huh." he wondered. A smile slowly crept upon his face, and he continued on his way peacefully.

 **Paras: "I haven't felt this way in years! It feels as if my burden has been lifted somehow, and it's thanks to those three... Ha, Combee should be a pharmacist, not me. He deserves it more than I do..."**

 **000**

Sandshrew explored their section of the island and was fascinated. To think that this section by itself could hold a coastline, forest, and grasslands amazed him. If only one section of the island was this big, how big would the island be in all?

As Sandshrew explored the nature of the forest, he heard a rustling behind. He turned around carefully, and spotted a twitching bush. He narrowed his eyes, and slowly approached the bush, one step at a time.

Suddenly, out of the bush sprang a figure, knocking Sandshrew over. He was dazed for a second but recovered and tried spotting his assailant. He saw an light orange pumpkin run into the woods ahead of him.

"Pumpkaboo!" Sandshrew blurted out, "Wait!"

He ran after Pumpkaboo's trail, as he saw her dive into a tree and disappear behind it. He hesitated for a few seconds before jumping through as well. Sandshrew was expecting flat land, but was met with a long hill, which he rolled down. He landed with a thud at the bottom, too weak to stand up. He saw a figure stand before him, just as his vision began to blur, and the whole world went black.

 **000**

"Eeep!" Pumpkaboo squeaked, scared by the seemingly dead Sandshrew. All she was trying to do was get him off her tracks, she didn't want to hurt him. She stared at Sandshrew's body for a few seconds, before going back into the woods. A few minutes later, she came back with some Oranberries, which she fed Sandshrew. She waited a moment, before sighing and looking down glumly.

"It's no use..." she mumbled, disappointed in herself.

"Ugh... Pumpkaboo?" came Sandshrew's voice weakly. Pumpkaboo jumped, frightened at the sudden sound, and was about to flee when Sandshrew caught her.

"Wait, Pumpkaboo," his voice was barely a whisper, "I just wanna talk."

Pumpkaboo hesitated for a few moments, before nervously heading back towards Sandshrew. She sat down on a nearby log, and the two stared at each other in awkward silence. Finally, Sandshrew spoke up.

"So, uh... Why were you running away?" he asked softly and calmly.

"I... I don't do well around people." she replied, looking away from him.

"Don't worry, I'm not so good at talking either." Sandshrew tried cheering her up. Pumpkaboo stole a glance at Sandshrew, who was smiling directly at her.

"You aren't?" she asked, her voice a little louder.

"No, the only person I usually talk to is my mom," Sandshrew laughed sadly, "And now that she's not here... I guess I have no one I know that I can talk to."

"Oh.' Pumpkaboo replied embarrassed, not knowing what to say next.

"I haven't really talked to anyone here either besides small conversation," confided Sandshrew, and then adding, "I think I'm actually the most comfortable talking to you."

"Really?" asked Pumpkaboo, surprised.

"Really." confirmed Sandshrew. Pumpkaboo blushed madly as he said it.

"Um... I-I have to go." she said, quickly turning away and running again. Sandshrew barely had the time to reply, and watched as Pumpkaboo disappeared into the woods again.

 **Sandshrew: "Wow, that was weird... Did I do the right thing? I don't know, I feel like I might have come off as a creep... I think I may have experienced something I never could've shut in my room. I think I finally made a friend."**

 **000**

"Hey, old pal!" Beldum felt a pat on his back. He was working on his psychic abilities again, trying to lift up a small, rock structure, before he was disturbed and the structure toppled over.

"Whoops, did I interrupt you again?" asked Deino, smiling slyly.

"What do you want?" asked Beldum, levitating the rocks and throwing them to the side. Deino made no response, but suddenly jumped and charged Beldum. He sighed, as he stopped Deino midway and threw him into the nearest tree.

"Ouch! I'll get you one day." laughed Deino, trying to pull his head out of the tree. Beldum simply sighed and turned back to what he was doing, when he noticed something. Deino seemed to sense it too.

"What? Did you find something?" Deino asked, sneaking up behind the unexpecting Beldum.

"Stop, I know you're there," Beldum ordered, then motioned up a faraway hill, "Look up there."

"Up there?" asked Deino, squinting his eyes, "I don't see anything except- Wait... is that Mienfoo?"

"Seems like it," agreed Beldum, "I can't make out what she's doing."

"Probably training like you." Deino, shooting a Dragon Breath at Beldum, who easily dodged.

"Maybe." Beldum muttered, taking a final glance at Mienfoo, before turning back. Suddenly, before he could react, Deino headbutted Beldum, causing him to fly and hit a nearby tree.

"Ow..." moaned Deino happily, "Hey, looks like I'm getting better too."

Beldum glared at Deino, before grunting and heading back to his team cabin.

"Hey, wait up!" called out Deino, following right behind him.

 **Beldum: "That Deino may not look like it, but he's pretty strong. He learns quickly, and definitely packs a punch. I'll have to take him out before he turns into too much trouble."**

 **000**

"Oh hey, Mienfoo," Chingling called out, "You're here too?"

"Oh Chingling," Mienfoo replied, surprised that Chinglin sneaked up on her, "Are you here to train too?"

"Train? No, I'm just sightseeing," Chingling spoke softly, "Beautiful view, isn't it?"

Of all the people on her team, Mienfoo thought of Chingling as one of the best. She admired how he seemed to be able to remain calm in any situation.

"Yes," she answered his question, "It's very peaceful here, I-"

"Hey guys!" exclaimed a teleported Spiritomb, "Enough chit chat! Meet up at the spinning wheel for today's challenge!"

And with that, he disappeared once again. Mienfo stood there silently, stunned by the sudden entrance.

"Amazing how he can do that," noted Chingling, breaking Mienfoo out of her trance, "I wish I could."

"Well, it seems another day is about to begin," Mienfoo sighed, a little smile plastered on her face, "Let's try to win again!"

 **Mienfoo: "My sensei once told me that keeping a cool head in battle is more important than having a sharp sword. I'm very proud of Combee and Fennekin for winning last challenge. I hope that I, and the rest of our team, will not hold back either, and that we can win another challenge!"**

 **Spiritomb: "Ugh, I hate optimistic motivation."**

 **000**

"Sigh... what stupid challenge are we doing this time?" sighed Snivy, crossing his arms. The teams had now gathered around the spinning wheel, awaiting Spiritomb's instructions.

"Well, someone's gotta spin the wheel." Spiritomb replied, smirking. Vulpix sat nearest to the spinning wheel, so she gave it a little nudge before looking back to her game. The wheel spun and spun, until it landed on one element: Ghost

"Ooh, ghost type," Spiritomb huckled maniacally, "This should be interesting."

"So what's the challenge?" asked Ralts.

"Today, we'll be heading to the haunted mansion on the dark section of the island." Spiritomb announced.

"W-wait, there's a haunted m-mansion?" asked Magnemite nervously.

"Yup, it's like a hundred years old, give or take." Spiritomb answered.

"Wait, why don't we sleep there?" asked Chimchar, confused.

"I repeat, haunted," Spiritomb emphasized the word, "You can sleep there if you want, but you probably won't come out the next day."

That put an end to Chimchar's question.

"So, the challenge?" repeated Ralts, writing some notes in her notepad.

"It's simply to get out of the haunted mansion," Spiritomb smirked, "I'll be teleporting you all there, and you'll have to try to escape. Anyway is fine, and the team with the most people remaining wins!"

"Um, what do you mean by people remaining?" asked Kecleon skeptically.

"There's probably a twist." Snivy answered, rolling his eyes.

"Thanks for ruining the surprise," grumbled Spiritomb, "But yes, there is a twist. You'll be carrying these the whole time!"

Spiritomb teleported in 38, brightly lit candles, one for each Pokémon. Some seemed to be more spooked of the candles than others.

"Ahhhhh!" scramed Magnemite and Honedge, running away and crashing into each other, knocking each other out.

"Hmph." Houndour growled, looking away from the candle.

"If your candle goes out, even if you come back alive, it won't count," Spiritomb said, "We all clear?"

The Pokémon nodded their heads, causing Spiritomb to grin deviously.

"Alright, then," Spiritomb announced, "The challenge... begins!"

"What are you talking abo-" began Snivy, before he hit the ground, unconscious. The other Pokémon fell as well, and soon all the Pokémon except Spiritomb were on the ground. Spiritomb teleported the teams into the haunted mansion and cackled as he watched the challenge play out.

 **Magnemite: "I h-hate the dark..."**

 **000**

"Ugh..." groaned Kecleon, opening his eyes slowly, "Wha- Oh right, the challenge."

"Spiritomb must have knocked us out and teleported us here." deduced Ralts. Kecleon jumped as he heard her voice, and looked around. It seemed the rest of his team was also there, also just waking up, their faces illuminated by their individual candles.

"So, all we have to do is get out, right?" Sandshrew asked groggily, "That doesn't so bad-"

Suddenly, a nailed piece of wood broke off from the ceiling, impaling Sandshrew straight in the head. He dropped to his side, blood flowing from his head.

"Ahhh!" Azurill cried, covering her eyes. Paras coughed and checked Sandshrew's pulse.

"He's dead." he mumbled. Suddenly, Spiritomb appeared right in front of them, spooking the entire team.

"Yeesh, you guys scream like a bunch of wusses," Spiritomb scoffed, "Anyways, yeah, you can die in here. But don't worry, I'll revive you guys after the challenge. Well, that's all for now, happy dying!"

"Wait-" cried out Ralts, before Spiritomb disappeared yet again, leaving them to sit in silence.

"Well, that wasn't very helpful." Starly muttered, carrying his candle and trying to get a sense of surrounding. He scanned the room, feeling for a door, when he suddenly heard a click.

"What the-" Starly began, before an arrow launched through a hole in the wall, piercing his skull. Azurill whimpred at the sound of cracking bone, and Fennekin hugged her and tried to comfort her.

"Quick, I think I found an exit!" exclaimed Ralts, holding her candle up high so that everyone could see her. They took their candles too and scurried over to where she was.

"Look." she moved her candle, and lit up on the ground what seemed to be an air vent.

"Sweet! We can go through there and reach the exit!" Combee grinned widely, "This'll be a breeze, literally!"

"Stop," Ralts levitated Combee away from the vent, "This might be a trap."

"Only one way to find out." Snivy carefully placed his candle on the floor.

"What are you-" began Ralts, before it was too late. Snivy opened the vent and kicked Combee inside. A long scream was heard before it was cut off abruptly.

"Well, now we know." shrugged Snivy, going back to pick up his candle. However, Ralts psychically slammed Snivy against the wall before he could pick it up.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked Ralts angrily, "You just killed an innocent Pokémon!"

"Stop..." Snivy moaned.

"What? Why should I-" began Ralts, before Snivy coughed up a large amount of blood on her. She flinched and dropped Snivy, revealing several knives inserted into his back.

"Oh no..." Ralts muttered fearfully, "I did it again, and t-this time, I actually..."

Ralts began looking green, and excused herself into the corner. Pumpkaboo mumbled nervously, while Litwick wrote in his diary, seemingly unaffected by what happened. Finally, Azurill couldn't take it anymore and wretched herself from Fennekin, running around.

"Stop, Azurill!" exclaimed Fennekin nervously, "You're making the others-"

She didn't get any further before a creak was heard from below them, followed by several cracks, and a wall of dust. When it cleared, all that remained of Azurill was a hole in the floor of her same size.

"Wonder where that goes." Chingling muttered nonchalantly. Ralts returned from the corner and tried understanding what happened. All she heard was a lot of moaning and whimpering.

"Please! Everyone, calm down!" exclaimed a voice. Ralts turned and was glad that the voice belonged to Mienfoo.

"Panicking is usually what kills people in these situations," she explained and encouraged, "So we need to stay calm, and stick together."

 **Ralts: "Mienfoo is a great team leader. She can keep her cool and bring her team together in any situation... Sigh, unlike me..."**

 **000**

"I thought the plan was to stick together!" exclaimed Squirtle, running and panting heavily.

"You wanna go back there?" Eevee asked rhetorically. Their team had been doing fine when they got out of their room. Not so much when they got into the hallway. Secret spikes and hidden hatches had picked off some of their team, but what really did it was when they heard a huge growl. It didn't take long before the monster, whatever it was, began chasing them and hunting them down mercilessly. Even now, Squirtle could hear the muffled cries of his teammates, followed by a roar from the monster.

"Why... why did I even join this competition?" asked Squritle, panicking, tears forming in his eyes.

"Suck it up." Eevee tackled him the chest. Squirtle groaned from the pain, but he was no longer crying.

"Good, now let's find a way to escape this place." Eevee began exploring her surroundings, carrying her candle to help her see. It was a miracle their candles hadn't gone out yet. Maybe Spiritomb designed them that way, Squirtle wasn't complaining.

"So, uh... about yesterday," Squirtle awkwardly reminded, "I'm sorry for assuming-"

"Shut it," Eevee clamped her paw over his mouth, "You're not the first."

Squirtle tried replying to what she said, but his voice was muffled by Eevee's paw. Finally, she rolled her eyes and removed her paw from his face, allowing him to breath again.

"Wuss..." she muttered, unemotionally. Eevee got up and began moving through the hallway again, followed closely behind by Squirtle.

 **Squirtle: "You've done it again, Squirtle... Geez, and here I am giving advice to Chimchar."**

 **000**

Boom. The entire room came crashing down on them, killing almost everyone. Fennekin scrambled up from the remains of the rubble, trying to determine where she was. To think that only a few months ago, she had been practicing good manners at the castle.

"And now, I eat with my paws." she sighed grimly. In a way, she almost missed not being back at the castle, but those thoughts were soon cascaded by the surrounding darkness. In the distance, she thought she could hear laughing, but it was probably her ears playing tricks on her. Slowly, she got up, and tried feeling around for any sign of life. Suddenly, she saw the glint of a knife in front of her, but by the it was already too late. The knife found it's way to Fnnekin's heart.

"Ahhh!" screamed a voice from afar. As she lay dying, Fennekin could have sworn she heard Ralts shouting, but by then, she was already knocked out for good. As Ralts came rushing towards Fennekin, she used her psychic abilities to tear the attacker in two. Ralts continued breathing heavily for a few moments, before what she did kicked into her mind. She fell to her knees, staring at the mess she had made.

"I-I failed again..." she shuddered, clutching her head with her hands. She was so preoccupied with the situation, that she didn't realize another creeping shadow, before the world went black for her as well.

 **000**

Frillish couldn't remember what came first, her screaming or the spear thrusting through Solosis' body. Whichever it was, she forgot quickly as she ran away and hid behind a nearby object. Funnily enough, she had forgotten to bring her or Solosis' candle along with her, and thus she had to make her way through pitch darkness.

"Hmm... I feel like I've been here before." Frillish thought, but her mind drew a blank. She shrugged and continued heading through the darkness, when she saw a faint light. She made her way towards it, and saw it was a candle.

"Murkrow?" she asked, seeing the dark-feathered Pokémon. She ran towards him, only to have an arrow plunge through her heart. Murkrow slyly moved his talon off a pressure plate, causing the trap to go back into the wall.

"Foolish girl." he sighed, the death not effecting him at all.

"Hey Murkrow!" exclaimed a voice from behind him, "Found anything- Gah!"

Smeargle cringed at the sight of Frillish's body, and looked at Murkrow with a fearful look.

"Did she just die? Yo, we gotta get out of here!" Smeargle tugged on Murkrow's wing, wanting to leave. Murkrow simply flashed him a glare, stopping Smeargle in his tracks.

"I'll go ahead." Murkrow said, monotone, as he took his candle and flew on ahead.

"Wait! Stop, why are you-" Smeargle began, before a claw from behind took out his throat. Purrloin stood over his body with a distasteful frown.

"So close..." she muttered, looking for Murkrow with death in her eyes.

 **000**

"Great, now our captain's dead," muttered Ferroseed annoyingly, "This challenge is going great."

"We were never gonna win it," replied Houndour pessimistically, "With you here, at least."

"Ha ha, what happened to your candle, by the way?" retorted Ferroseed.

"Um.. I, uh, didn't need it," Houndour scoffed, "Candles are for pussies."

"Oh hey, guys." said a voice from behind them. They both flinched and spun around, seeing Mareep looking at them with a pleasant smile.

"Ha! You got scared." Houndour smirked.

"You got scared too!" Ferroseed countered, glaring at Houndour.

"Whatever, Mareep, tell this-" began Ferroseed, before he got stabbed with a knife and collapsed to the ground, dead. Houndour's jaw went slack, as he turned to Mareep, whow as now wretching the knife from Ferroseed's dead body. She turned to him, her eyes a bright shade of red, and that same smile still stuck on her face.

"Now it's your turn." Mareep said, shooting a Thunder Bolt at Houndour, who just barely dodged.

"Ahhhh!" Houndour screamed, as he bounded away from Mareep, who was chasing him and laughing maniacally.

 **000**

"F-fear not, Honedge," Honedge muttered to himself, "E-even though the others may perish, you m-must stand strong! For the king!"

Suddenly, he ran into something metallic.

"Ahh!" he yelped, trying to curl up, but ultimately just ended up looking like a fool.

"W-who goes there?" he asked nervously. He still hadn't quite recovered from last challenge, and his back still ached every second. He wrapped his candle around his scarf, holding it out to illuminate his nearby area.

"Wooooohoooo!" exclaimed a voice from behind him. He flinched and turned around, seeing Joltik riding a show-like beast.

"Wha..." he was speechless, as he saw Joltik ride by him.

"Oh hey, Honedge!" was all Honedge heard, before Joltik pulled him by the scarf. He began choking, but Joltik raised him up, and slammed him atop the shadowy beast.

"Wha- who... Oooooh..." Honedge fainted, and laid flat on the monster's back.

"Huh, must have a weak heart." thought Joltik, as he gave another woop of excitement. He was entranced by the thrill of the ride to not hear the dying screams of both his teammates and the other Pokémon below him.

 **Joltik: "I may have went a bit overboard on that one. But do I regret it? No way, that was way too good!"**

 **000**

Zubat couldn't help but laugh at the situation. He had been split up with most of his team, and the ones who were still with him were all scared and nervous of the monster coming back again. He somehow was calm through all of this. Maybe it was the fact that he couldn't see nothing but darkness that pushed him on, or maybe it was Chikoreta, who miraculously stuck with him, and who was helping and encouraging him and the rest of the group.

"I think we're close to the end." she said enthusiastically, directly behind Zubat, who was leading the scattered group. She tapped him once on his left wing, signalling that they should turn left. Zubat whispered his thanks and called out to the rest of the group to head left. Their system was working so far, and all was going well until...

"Hey look!" called out Sentret, "A window!"

Zubat was pushed around as all the other Pokémon gathered to see. He sensed the others were ahead of him, assuming that's where the window.

"Move aside, I'm breaking through." ordered Gible, cracking his knuckles.

"Um.. I'm pretty sure that's not a good-" began Zubat, before he heard the cracking of glass and the screaming of Gible, followed by a earthly thud.

"-Idea..." he muttered grimly. This was a very bad day to be blind. Suddenly, a great roar shattered Zubat's thoughts.

"Wait, what was th-" Zubat began, before the shadowy monster swallowed him whole.

"No! Zubat!" Chikoreta exclaimed remorsefully, too scared to move from her place. She saw as the monster began devouring everyone, with what seemed like the sound of laughter coming from it. She clutched her candle even closer. Finally, once the monster was done, it turned back towards Chikoreta with deathly red eyes. She whimpered, shielding herself using the candle. In her mind, a part of her told her that there was nothing to fear, but the rest of her was shaking. She was about to give up, when she remembered Porygon and Zubat.

"They wouldn't have run away." she muttered to herself. Slowly but surely, she turned to face the monster. She swallowed her fear, and approached the monster with courageous eyes.

"Take this!' she exclaimed, running towards the monster, holding her candle out as a weapon. Suddenly, her body was engulfed in a bright light that blinded the monster. Chikoreta's form began to change. She got taller, and the leaf on her head grew longer. The buds around her neck grew as well, now visibly surrounding her neck. Her skin had changed as well, turning from a light green to a more vibrant yellow. She had evolved into a Bayleef!

Suddenly, she felt a weird tingling feeling, and the monster in front of her was replaced by a smirking Spiritomb. She stared in confusion until she looked around her. She was outside the mansion.

"Wha- How?" she asked, at a loss for words.

"How did you get out?" Spiritomb finished her question for her, "You faced the monster head on. According to the ghosts of the mansion, that deserves a win."

"Wait, so I win?" asked Bayleef excitedly.

"Not yet," Spiritomb smirked, "There's still some Pokémon left in there, some of your own team. Now, we just sit and wait for them."

"Also, did you get smaller?" asked Bayleef curiously. Spiritomb smirked in reply.

"No, you just got bigger."

 **000**

Purrloin was getting very tired of chasing Murkrow. That stupid bird had escaped her multiple times now, even with her keen senses, and she was getting mad. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted something shining black. A feather. she immediately pounced upon it, just as Murkrow burst out of the shadows, a few millimitres from her grasp.

"Try again." he taunted, flying away. Purrloin snapped and chased him, regardless of what was happening around her. She was just about to slash him when he disappeared right in front of him.

"What?" she looked around for another sign of him.

"Better luck next time." answered a voice from behind her, as she felt a kick from the back, and then flowing air, as she plummeted into the darkness.

"Ahh!" she screamed, bracing for impact. She landed on her feet, but even then, the force of impact caused her to faceplant into the ground. When she rose up groggily, she could hear the faint sound of laughter.

"Ah! The team captain of the Darkclaw Brotherhood!" spoke a voice, "Glad you could make it."

Her vision returned to her, just as she saw Spiritomb staring at her face. She responded by swiping at him.

"Hey hey! No need to fight," Spiritomb smirked, "Miraculously, you and candle made it."

"My candle?" asked Purrloin confusedly. She looked around and saw it was by her side. She could have sworn she dropped it somewhere in the mansion when she was chasing Murkrow...

"That blasted bird." she mumbled smirking, realization dawning on her.

"What are you so happy about?" asked Spiritomb.

 **000**

Joltik was having the ride of his life on the monster. Honedge was not. Once his voice cracked, he resorted to whimpering and weeping, clutching the monster's back tightly.

"Come on, you'll enjoy it!" exclaimed Joltik cheerfully, "Just give it a shot!"

"A-Arceus, pro-protect me..." shuddered Honedge. Joltik rolled his eyes and continued looking ahead. He heard a screech behind him, so he looked around. What was originally Honedge was now just a pool of blood.

"Wait... swords can't bleed." thought Joltik. His thoughts were interrupted when the body of Mareep was grinning at him.

"Um... hello?" he asked, waving his hand. He was replied with a horrendous growl, just barely dodging a Spark from Mareep.

"Woah!" Joltik continued dodging the series of attacks from Mareep. He turned back to face forward, when something caught his eye.

"A window!" he exclaimed, steering his monster to the left, slamming into a wall. Mareep was floating quickly behind, and was gaining on him.

"Come on, just a bit more..." he strained, beads of sweat dripping from his head. He took a quick glance back towards Mareep to see she was preparing a final attack. A cry turned his attention back to the front. He saw on the side, Houndour was fearfully barking for help.

"Hoo boy..." he breathed, preparing himself. In one swift motion, he dropped to the side of the monster, grabbed Houndour by the tail, and smashed through the window just as Mareep shot off a Thunder Bolt. Joltik and Houndour ended up falling from the second floor of the mansion, and landed on the ground hard.

"Ooooh..." Joltik moaned, but a smile crept up on his face, before lying down unconscious. Houndour tried walking around dizzily, before he also fell on his side and was out cold.

"Huh, I guess that works," mumbled Spiritomb, "But it looks like they don't have their candles, so Joltik and Houndour don't count!"

"Aren't you being a bit unfair?" asked Bayleef sympathetically.

"And when did I say you could commentate?" asked Spiritomb, annoyed. Bayleef backed off, head down. Suddenly, a crash was heard, followed by the opening of the front doors. Squirtle and Eevee busted through, sprinting as they were being chased by another monster. The monster was about to chomp down on them, when it disappeared into a pile of ash, leaving behind a very tired looking Squirtle and Eevee.

"Seems you two had a wild ride," Spiritomb said, smirking, "But it looks like only Eevee has a candle, so Squirtle doesn't count!"

"What?" asked Eevee incrudlously, "Where'd yours go?"

"Uh... I may have, uh, dropped it on the way." Squirtle answered sheepishly. Eevee just groaned angrily, and walked away. Squirtle just looked on with a hrut expression on his face.

"You screwed up," Spiritomb stated, "But did the others? Let's see-"

Just then, Litwick was seen walking out of the front door, writing in his diary, oblivious to the world.

"Darn, pencil snapped," complained Litwick, "Oh wait... this isn't the mansion."

The Pokémon who made it facepalmed, and Spiritomb who had no hands just sighed.

"Well, looks like he made it too," Spiritomb rolled his eyes, "And would you know it? He still has his candle- I'm done."

Litwick just arched a brow, wondering why everyone was looking at him.

"Well, I think that's everyone," Spiritomb sensed no other living Pokémon in the haunted mansion, "There goes the suspense..."

 **Litwick: "Hmm... where's a sharpener when you need one?"**

 **Squirtle: "Why did I drop the candle!?... Stupid, stupid, stupid..."**

 **000**

"Now tallying the scores..." Spiritomb calculated, "And it looks like... Team Something Cool wins!"

Bayleef and Squirtle high fived, while Eevee simply glared at the happy pair.

"Woah, you evolved?" asked Squirtle, just noticing the change.

"I did?" asked Bayleef, equally surprised.

"Sigh..." Eevee didn't even bother.

"And it looks like today's losing team is, drumroll please, the Darkclaw Brotherhood!" Spiritomb exclaimed. Purrloin almost doubled over.

"Wait, how were we beaten?" asked Purrloin, "Litwick and I both have one candle!"

"Plus, we have more Pokémon." Houndour backed up.

"Purrloin, repeat your last sentence." Spiritomb smirked.

"What? Litwick and I- He counts!?" she asked incredulously.

"I didn't specify what candle you had to bring back," Spiritomb argued slyly, "Could be a Pokémon, for all I care."

"Ugh." Purrloin groaned, glaring at Houndour and Joltik. The two shuffled away sheepishly.

"Oh yeah, almost forgot," Spiritomb laughed, "Gotta revive everyone!"

With a blink of an eye, all the missing Pokémon were teleported outside the haunted mansion, the difference being they were alive again.

"Wha- Wait... I thought I was at the mansion." Kecleon scratched his head, very confused.

"Yeah, and I was running from that monster," Mienfoo tried recalling, "And then an explosion, and then..."

"Hey, you killed me!" exclaimed Ferroseed angrily.

"I did? Sorry, I didn't mean to." Mareep apologized, smiling sweetly. Ferroseed just rolled his eyes and glared at her.

"So, small recap," Spiritomb settled the crowd of Pokémon, "Zubat's team won and Purrloin's team lost."

"We won?" asked Zubat cheerfully, "Wooo!"

"Eh, you win some, you lose some." shrugged Deino.

"But we haven't won any." Solosis countered.

"Don't worry about it, dudes," Mudkip encouraged nonchalantly, "We'll win the next one for sure."

"We can hope." Solosis sighed.

"Also, since Something Cool won this challenge, they get a prize!" exclaimed Spiritomb enthusiastically. He teleported in bags of candy, one for each member of the team, "Enjoy!"

"Wow, something good from Spiritomb?" asked Snivy sarcastically.

"Ha ha!" Gible gloated, wolfing down his sweets in front of the other teams, who hatefully glared at him.

"Oh yeah, and Team Undefeatable," Spiritomb addressed the team, "I forgot about your prize last time, so instead, you get to share Zubat's team's reward!"

"Wait, what?!" Zubat's team exclaimed in unison. they grumbled as Team Undefeatable took half of their spoils, and they looked at their remaining candy, glaring at Spiritomb.

"Mmm!" Combee grinned while eating his candy, "These are pretty sweet!" Gible seemd ready to fight, but he was held back by Squirtle.

"Well, that's all for now," Spiritomb said, "You guys can go back to your cabins. But Darkclaw Brotherhood, you guys meet me at the elimination area tonight."

The two teams walked happily back to their cabins, eating their candies, while Purrloin's team looked at each other nervously and skeptically.

 **Deino: "Time to vote someone off!"**

 **000**

"Mmph!" Slowpoke tried screaming through the gag, but it was no use. He had been strolling through the woods moments ago, when he felt a deep sleep come upon him. The next thing he knew, he woke up, tied by rope to a nearby tree.

"So you woke up." said a voice from around him. Slowpoke looked around and saw Azurill staring directly at him.

"Mmmph!" he tried yelling again, but his voice was muffled by the gag.

"Don't bother, I fastened it tightly." Azurill smirked. Slowpoke couldn't understand why Azurill was doing this, until he looked at her eyes. They were glowing a bright purple. Suddenly, a figure appeared from the next tree over, and Espurr emerged with a twisted smile.

"This is me, Espurr talking." Azurill said, Slowpoke doubling over in response. Espurr's face revealed no emotion, but continued talking with Azurill.

"How am I controlling her, you wonder?" Azurill asked for Slowpoke, "Easy hypnosis and manipulation. I used the same trick on you, but it seems the link get weaker the more Pokémon I possess."

Slowpoke could only stare in confusion and fear, as none of his questions couldn't be answered.

"Why did I possess you too?" Espurr seemed to be able to read his mind, "A simple test to see if I could do it. Once I realized it was a mistake, I knew I had to get rid of you. Unfortunately, our team lost last time, so I had to get rid of somebody else, but this time, you're not so lucky."

Slowpoke tried biting at the gag, but it was also no use.

"Sadly, our time to talk is coming to an end," Azurill's purple eyes began to fade, "And sadly, this is the end for you."

Slowpoke didn't know what that meant, but another trance came over him, and the next thing he knew, he was out cold.

 **000**

"Ah, I see everyone's here already." Spiritomb smirked, as Purrloin's team came to the campfire.

"We just want it over with." Purrloin sighed, her teammates agreeing with her.

"Unfortunately, I have some bad news," Spiritomb said dramatically, "Slowpoke has quit."

"What?!" the team sounded out in surprise.

"Yes, I know, what a tragedy," Spiritomb continued, "I had this whole thing planned out, but oh well."

"Wait, why would he quit?" asked Joltik, astonished.

"Beats me, he just told me he wanted to quit, and that was that," Spiritomb answered, "But that doesn't mean he gets to slip out of the elimination cannon!"

Spiritomb teleported them to the coastline, where a gigantic cannon was propped, and Slowpoke was lodged inside it. Eerily however, Slowpoke seemed strangely calm through the whole thing, with a faraway look in his eyes.

"Well, any last words?" asked Spiritomb, preparing a match to light the fuse. Nothing from Slowpoke, not even a blink.

"Alrighty then," Spirtomb looked away and lit the fuse, "Fire in the hole!"

Before anyone could do anything, a loud blast was heard, and Slowpoke was no more, replaced by a long stream of smoke, leading towards the horizon. Honedge ran away, screaming, while the others gulped and thought about Slowpoke solemnly.

"That's all for this elimination," Spiritomb concluded, "You guys can go back."

One by one, they went back to their cabin, leaving Spiritomb to look over the horizon silently.

"Wonder why." he muttered to himself.

 **Purrloin: "Hmm... that was unexpected. Why did Slowpoke quit? He didn't have anyone aiming for him... did he? Maybe Murkrow is right, someone's definitely pulling the strings here."**

 **Espurr: "..."**

 **000**

Slish, slosh, slish, slosh...

The waves collided with each other and dissipated. Shuppet had been floating around in the middle of the ocean for days now on end. He would not give up, no matter how much the tides had turned him. He would not give up, until he found his master.

He knew his master was there. There was no way Shuppet would let her out of his sight again.

"Master..." he mumbled, as he continued trudging through the storming waves. He was about to fall unconscious into the ocean, when he saw a spot of green far in the distance. Shuppet had to summon all his strength to move over there, the waves fiercely knocking against his frail body. Finally, after what seemed like ages, he reached the coast of the land, and promptly collapsed.

When he awoke again, his vision was blurry, and he looked around him for any sign of where he may be. Suddenly, he felt a presence appear right in front of him, and although his vision hadn't yet returned, he already knew from the scent.

"Master Espurr..." he cried out weakly, "I've found you..."

 **000**

 **Ho ho! Shuppet is back, and is somehow connected with Espurr, who may have been the cause of Porygon's elimination? What!?**

 **Kidding, but Espurr is getting more and more mysterious... and evil. I feel bad for Slowpoke, he didn't even know what was coming until he got booted. Will Murkrow's gang be able to deal with her? Who knows! Cause I haven't even written it yet**

 **Jokes aside, how do you guys think I did this time? Should I make the challenges longer or shorter, and who do you want talked more about? (Or maybe not talked about at all?) Any review is very much appreciated, and they really help a lot.**

 **Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you again! :D**

 **BlandToucan**


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